Alternatives
by Dakota-Jones
Summary: Axel's 'afterlife' isn't at all what he expected, and Demyx is less than appreciative when the boisterous redhead gets, quite literally, dropped into his life. But will they be able to work together when new life threatening complications arise? AkuDemy!
1. Chapter 1

Axel woke up to the sound of horns blaring.

He groaned and pushed himself up to his hands and knees, heard the sound of squealing tires, and looked up just in time to see a car skidding by him within feet of his head. He yelped and shoved himself back away from the car, into a different lane of traffic.

A louder horn went off as he stood up, and he turned to find a very large vehicle barreling down the road toward him. Fear flooded his veins; not the illusion of fear, not a memory, but true fear. He planted his feet and tried to summon his chakrams, fully intent upon destroying the machine before it hit him.

Nothing happened.

He tried again. No chakrams.

"Axel!"

Before he could move someone slammed into him, knocking him off the asphalt and onto the grass at the side of the road. He gasped, the air momentarily knocked from his lungs. The warm body pressing down on top of his certainly didn't help the whole 'breathing' thing. He looked down and saw a mess of dirty blonde hair- he'd recognize that half-mohawk just about anywhere, even if he hadn't know the Nobody that well.

"Demyx?"

_It can't be Demyx. Demyx is dead._

…_but so are you._

Demyx lifted his head, a grimace of pain on his face. "Jesus, Axel, what the hell were you doing in the middle of the road?"

"…Jesus?"

"Nevermind," Demyx said, sitting up in the grass. The blonde was wearing faded blue jeans and a dark blue hooded sweater; it was odd to see, considering Axel had only ever seen him in full Organization garb.

"It's about time you got here," Demyx said, his voice excited as he brushed himself off. "What happened after I died? Did Sora get to Xemnas?"

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Axel said, slowly sitting up. "It's only been a few days!"

Demyx frowned. "No way. It's been a _year_."

"A year?"

"Yeah, I got dropped here last May. It's April now. Almost a year," Demyx said, nodding furiously. "You're lucky I was out walking Sam. The semi could've flattened you."

"Sam?" Axel repeated, and Demyx gestured behind Axel. Axel looked over his shoulder slowly…and came face-to-snout with a very big, very angry looking Doberman with a leash dangling from its leather collar. The dog curled its lip and snarled, and Axel slowly scooted away.

"He, uh…"

"Oh, he's friendly. Don't worry," Demyx said, standing up and offering Axel a hand to his feet. Axel ignored it, getting to his feet on his own.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking around at the busy highway and the houses and stores lining the road.

"Denver, Colorado. The United States," Demyx explained, and Axel frowned.

"Never heard of it."

"Neither had I. This world is huge."

"Why…why can't I use my powers?"

That question seemed to sober Demyx up a bit. He shrugged, looking down at the ground.

"None of us can, I guess."

"None of us? There are others here?"

Demyx shook his head. "I only know about Larxene for sure. She lives in New York, a long way away from here. She's been here long enough to start up practice as a lawyer."

"And…we have hearts?"

"Sure do. I noticed it too, as soon as I got here."

Axel looked down at the ground, trying to make sense of all this in his head. They all were killed somehow, faded away…and they ended up stripped of their powers and dropped in a strange world.

With hearts.

"Hey, don't think too much," Demyx said, placing a hand on Axel's shoulder. "Come to my place, eat some dinner, get cleaned up…you reek of smoke."

"But this doesn't make any _sense_."

"Food always helps."

Axel sighed, and then he shrugged. "Sure. I guess."

Demyx grinned, picking up Sam's leash. "Follow me."

Axel didn't really have much choice but to follow. Demyx had been here a whole lot longer than him, he obviously knew where he was going and how this world worked. It was the best choice to stick close to him.

Funny. He'd always thought of the musician as useless, excepting some late night musical entertainment.

"How'd you die?" Demyx asked, falling back into step beside Axel, Sam walking between them.

"I…uh…"

"Aw, come on, it can't be that embarrassing," Demyx said with a laugh. "Sora got you too, didn't he?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Tough kid."

Axel snorted softly. _Not really. Just lucky I decided to lend him a hand. If it weren't for Roxas, he'd be good as dead._

They crested a hill, and Axel was momentarily taken aback by the view. Hundreds of lights littered the valley below, roads criss-crossed in every direction, and over the city was the silhouette of distant mountains. The sun was setting behind the mountains, casting shades of pink and orange in the sky above them.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Demyx asked, noticing the look on Axel's face. "My apartment isn't the nicest around, but the view is unbeatable. C'mon, this way."

Demyx turned into a small complex of buildings, heading between two of them to the mountain side of the complex. He led Axel up a flight of stairs to a door that read 8-B.

"Home sweet home," he said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. Sam rushed inside and straight to the water bowl, and Axel stepped inside hesitantly. Demyx flipped on the light behind him, revealing a small sitting room with a TV, a computer, a couch, and a coffee table. Littered around were folders and magazines, strewn haphazardly on the table and computer desk.

"Sorry that it's a bit of a mess," Demyx said, grabbing a couple folders off the couch and tossing them on the table. "I wasn't expecting a visitor."

Axel didn't answer; he didn't really care. He eyed the fireplace, which was right beside the doorway to a small kitchen.

"Not much more than this," Demyx said with a bashful shrug. "Closet, bathroom, and bedroom are down that hallway."

"Mmm."

"You, uh…want something to eat? I don't have anything ready, but I can cook…"

"You cook?"

"Well, I try, anyway."

Axel smirked, starting to step back toward the hallway to the bedroom- but Sam stepped in front of him, raising his hackles and growling. Axel sneered and starting to summon a nice ball of fire to shove down the dog's throat, but once again nothing happened. His powers really were gone.

"You're dead, furball," he hissed at the dog before backing away from the hallway.

"What?" Demyx called out from behind the kitchen counter.

"Nothing," Axel said, walking to the couch and dropping down on it. He wasn't impressed; so far all he'd felt with this heart was fear and now depression. Wasn't having a heart supposed to be a good thing?

"Hey Demyx…what have you been doing since you got here, anyway?"

There was a sizzling sound, and Demyx shrugged, concentrating on whatever food he was cutting up. "Didn't do much of anything the first couple months. Tried to find a way back, you know? But then I figured I'd better just get a job and try to make the best of things."

"A job?"

"Yeah. I, uh…I teach guitar lessons. And I'm…"

"Go on."

"I'm a teacher's aide for the 3rd grade classes at the elementary school down the street."

Axel blinked a few times, then looked up at Demyx in disbelief. "You teach little kids?"

"Well, yeah. It's not a bad gig. And it pays the rent."

Axel picked up one of the folders on the table and opened it up. Inside were papers with barely-legible scrawlings on them, marked with blue pen and each with a sticker at the top.

"You've changed."

Demyx smiled, stepping out from the kitchen and setting a bowl in front of Axel on the table. "A lot of things change in a year. Even without the whole 'new world' thing."

"You've given up."

"I didn't give up. I tried. I spent the first two months trying to get back to help you guys," Demyx explained. "But there's no magic here, Axel. No powers, no teleportation, no doorways to other worlds…this is _it_. It's like…the dead end of worlds."

"That's impossible. You just didn't try hard enough."

Demyx put his hands on his hips indignantly. "Look, you don't know anything about it. And since ranks are a moot point now, I can tell you to _shut up_."

Axel's eyes widened, but by the time he'd recovered enough to snap back, Demyx was back in the kitchen. This time he filled a bowl of dog food and set it out for Sam, who seemed to swallow it all in one gulp.

Axel poked at the food in his dish- a reddish brown rice with chunks of meat in it. It looked pretty gross, but he was famished. He took a tentative bite, and was surprised to find that it was actually quite good. Spicy.

"The couch folds out into a bed," Demyx said, returning from the kitchen. "You're welcome to stay until you get on your feet again."

"Thanks."

"I'm gonna get some sleep. Have to get up early tomorrow to set up for a convocation. When you want to sleep, just yank the cushions off the couch, move the coffee table, and pull up on the bar inside the couch," Demyx said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Night."

"Goodnight," Axel said softly, watching as Demyx left the room. Sam gave Axel another growl and snort before following Demyx out.

Axel sighed and set the bowl aside. Good food, for sure, but he'd suddenly lost his appetite.

This had all happened too fast. One second he was opening a portal for Sora to give Xemnas a big final 'fuck you', and now he was stripped of everything and relying on the token dumb blonde of the Organization to have a roof to sleep under.

And he wouldn't even see Roxas here. Not even Sora, to give him that feeling that Roxas was near. His best friend had been absorbed right back into his other, as if he'd never existed.

And now here he was. Axel, number VIII, feeling helpless and quite lost for the first time in a long time. Feeling true emotions for the first time since he could remember.

So far, he hated it.

_Tomorrow. Tomorrow I can press Demyx for more answers, maybe even contact Larxene and ask if she's found anything to get us out. If she'll even talk to me._

With a heavy feeling of dread, Axel managed to get the bed pulled out before collapsing onto it and falling right into sleep.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

_They're finally reunited. _

_It's almost time._

_The reawakening will have to be completed soon, or this world will fall._


	2. Chapter 2

Axel didn't wake up until nearly ten in the morning the next day. Sunlight was filtering in through the windows, warming him slowly from the chill of sleep. He yawned and stretched in a cat-like motion, and then slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes.

_Where am I?_

_Oh, yeah. I died. Then…Demyx…_

He stood up and stepped around the bed, and then spotted a piece of paper lying on the counter. Fittingly, it was a light blue paper with dark music notes along the top.

_Axel,_

_My work address and directions to it are at the bottom of this paper. If you need me, that's where I'll be until four o'clock. Your breakfast is on the red plate in the refrigerator, just heat it up in the microwave. It's not poisoned, I promise. Take Sam out for a walk when you get the chance. I left some clothes sitting out for you on my bed, they should fit you._

_Demyx_

_P.S. You talk in your sleep, by the way. I had no idea you were that infatuated with cupcakes, but I'll pick some up on the way home if it means that much to you._

Axel rolled his eyes and tossed the note back onto the counter. _I don't talk in my sleep, and like hell am I touching that mutt, _he thought. He slipped into the kitchen and opened the fridge, surprised to see that Demyx really had left him breakfast- bacon, eggs, and pancakes. He was impressed, to say the least.

He sighed and closed the fridge, instead deciding that he desperately needed a shower. Food could wait. He walked around the counter and into the back hallway, and almost ran right into Sam. The dog stared up at him, a murderous glint in its eyes.

"Hey, relax. I'm just going to take a shower. Stupid dog," Axel muttered, edging past the dog to the bathroom. He closed the door quickly, and wouldn't have been surprised to hear the dog attack the door from the outside.

After everything that had happened, relaxing in a long shower seemed like a dream. He took his time with it, staying under the hot water for nearly an hour before he decided that he really didn't want to drown in Demyx's shower. He towel-dried his hair and wrapped another towel around his waist, and then left the bathroom to get those clothes Demyx had left out for him.

He didn't quite get to Demyx's room, though, before he heard a knock at the door. He sighed with frustration, stepping around the now-sleeping dog once again to get to the front door. He opened it partway, and standing outside it was an older man in a brown suit clutching a book to his chest tightly. The man looked taken aback by Axel's state of undress, but he spoke anyway.

"Hello there, young man. Have you found Jesus?"

_Jesus…I've heard that name before...oh, yeah, Demyx said it._

"Um…no, but Demyx might've…how long has he been missing?"

The man blinked. "Son, Jesus left this world a long while ago, but he is always here for you."

"So…he's here for me…but you can't find him? You're nuts."

The man sputtered and gaped, and Axel raised an eyebrow. "What do you want, anyway? If you think we've got this Jesus guy tied up in the closet, you'll be pretty disappointed. Call the cops or somethin', I'm not for hire as a search party."

Axel closed the door, shaking his head. People sure were weird around here, walking up to strangers doors and asking them to find a missing person.

He got changed into the clothes Demyx set out for him- black drawstring pants and a black t-shirt with flames around the bottom edge. _How fitting_, he thought with a smirk, eyeing the flames on the shirt.

He ate breakfast, but after that, quickly became bored. He felt like he shouldn't just be sitting around, like he should be doing something more important. After all, he had a heart now, didn't he? So far what he'd worked so hard to get had only become a bit of an annoyance, flooding him with emotions he wasn't used to feeling so strong.

Eventually he decided his best bet was to go down to the school and ask Demyx some more questions. Maybe they could go to this New York place tonight and see Larxene. Maybe she knew something they didn't.

The school wasn't exactly what Axel had been expecting. At first he thought he was in the wrong place- this building was huge, with hallways branching off in every direction. But the number of kids scrambling around made it pretty clear what this place was for. Axel couldn't imagine spending every day working here, trying to round up all these little balls of pure energy.

An older-looking kid walked by, and Axel grabbed him by the arm. The kid looked up at him wide-eyed.

"Hey, kid, lookin' for one of your teachers. He's got weird blonde hair, name's Demyx."

"Mr. Davenport?"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Um…I guess."

"Are you gonna murder him?"

"Why would I do that?"

The kid crossed his arms. "You look like a murderer."

"Well then, you'd better tell me quick, hadn't you? Before I get _impatient_."

That did it; the kid looked downright terrified. He stuttered for a few moments before pointing down a hallway. "He's with Miss Velpeau today. The red door."

"Smart kid. Go on, get," Axel said, and the kid took off, his shoes squeaking on the smooth flooring.

The red door was hard to miss. It was, quite literally, a bright red door. Axel stopped by the windows to the classroom, able to see what was going on inside, but not hear anything. The kids were working on some kind of art project, cutting out shapes in colored paper. As Axel watched, a girl slipped with her scissors, and tears welled up in her eyes as a drop of blood appeared on her finger.

In moments, Demyx was at her side with a small box; Axel was startled yet again, this time seeing Demyx in neatly pressed khakis and a light blue button up shirt. Demyx knelt down by the girl's chair, smiling and talking to her as he used a cloth to wipe the blood away. It wasn't long before the girl was smiling and giggling as Demyx cleaned and bandaged up her finger.

_He looks…happy,_ Axel thought, crossing his arms as he watched the silent scene play out. _He acts like he doesn't even miss our world. He probably misses his sitar more than he missed anything from our home world._

Another kid walked up to Demyx and tugged on his sleeve, then pointed out the window to Axel. Axel smirked and waved as Demyx looked up in surprise. Demyx gestured for Axel to come inside the classroom, and at first Axel shook his head- but then Demyx gave him that _look_.

_Damn heart, _Axel thought, opening the door and stepping inside the classroom. The kids all stared as he stepped past the miniature tables and chairs to where Demyx stood.

"I didn't think you'd actually come," Demyx said with a smile.

"I got bored. Your apartment is boring."

Demyx laughed. "Well, as soon as Tracey gets back, I can take a break. There's an ice cream place next door we can go to."

Axel suddenly got an odd feeling. They were being watched- he knew it. He looked at the windows to the outside, but there were just a few houses, trees, bushes…nothing out of the ordinary.

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling.

"Demyx! Who's your friend?"

Axel's attention to his unease was broken by the high pitched, airy voice coming from the doorway. He turned and saw a woman walking toward them, her unruly blond curls in bushy pigtails and a smile plastered on her face that reminded Axel of…well, no one he'd seen before. A smile like that was unnatural, and quite frightening.

"Tracey, this is Axel. He's a friend of mine from back home," Demyx said with a smile. "Axel, this is Tracey."

Tracey extended her hand for a handshake. Axel simply gave her an incredulous look, and then looked at Demyx as if to say, _you expect me to touch that?_

"He's not the most social of creatures," Demyx explained without missing a beat. "Can you handle things here? I think I'm gonna take a break."

Tracey shrugged. "Oh, sure. Go on, take all the time you need."

Minutes later, Axel found himself sitting in a small ice cream shop beside the school, with a bowl of chocolate ice cream sitting in front of him. Demyx had unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt, and was now leaning back in his chair with a small bowl of strawberry ice cream, obviously grateful for the break from work.

"I've…noticed something, Axel. And I'm not sure what to make of it," Demyx said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in. Axel looked up at him, but didn't say a word. Demyx set down the ice cream, then continued.

"When I saw Larxene…she'd been here a lot longer than me, you know? And she didn't look any different."

"So?"

"So…with the way time speeds up here…I mean, you showed up, and you said it had been days. It had been a year here. So…Larxene, she should've…"

"Aged."

"Yeah."

Axel pondered this, setting his spoon down in the bowl. "You're saying we don't age here?"

"It's just a thought I had," Demyx said with an uncomfortable shrug. "I could be wrong. Maybe it's just something weird about her, maybe we'll find one of the others and they'll be using a cane. Or be on Viagra."

"Viagra?"

Demyx practically choked on his ice cream. "Nevermind. Just, uh…watch some TV commercials sometime, you'll figure it out."

Axel sighed, deciding to let that one go for now. "Well, it figures. We're technically dead, why should we age?"

"It just seems weird."

"Nothing feels normal about this in the first place."

Another silence fell. Axel didn't want to believe he was stuck here for all eternity; it seemed like a punishment he couldn't bear. This place didn't _feel_ right.

"Can I talk to her?"

"Larxene?"

Axel nodded. Demyx shrugged, pulling a small black object out of his pocket and flipping it open. Axel watched as Demyx pressed some buttons on it, then held it out to him.

"She might not want to talk to you. Don't be surprised if she hangs up on you, she did it to me three times."

Axel stared blankly.

"Oh…oh, yeah," Demyx said, and then he pushed the object into Axel's hand. "That end goes by your ear. Talk into this end. It's a cell phone."

Axel did as instructed, and was greeted with a ringing sound from the small machine. A few moments later, the ringing stopped and a familiar voice came from the phone.

"Larxene LaVielle."

"Never thought I'd hear that voice again."

"…Axel? How'd you get my number!"

"Whoa, whoa, water boy gave it to me. Be nice, I'm recently deceased."

"Shame I didn't get the privilege."

"I just called to ask you a couple questions. Can you stand me for five minutes?"

"It's my job to sit around listening to murderers and con-men lie through their teeth. You should only be slightly more grating on the nerves."

Axel chuckled. "Some things just don't change. Have you found a way back yet?"

"Back? Axel, we're dead. D-E-A-D, got it memorized? There's no going back."

"…Did you even get a heart, or did you miss that stop on the assembly line to here?"

Larxene sighed heavily. "Look, Axel, I did look into it. But the truth is, people here are so much easier to manipulate and steal money from. I wouldn't go back if I could. I'm living the good life, and I won't let your freakish obsessions stall me. I have a client to meet with now, if you don't mind."

There was a click, and then a steady tone. Axel looked at the phone curiously, and Demyx laughed.

"Told you she'd hang up on you," he said, taking the phone back and hooking it on his belt. "Let me guess…she didn't know anything, but even if she did, she wouldn't tell you?"

"That's about it."

"Figured."

Axel sighed, folding his arms on the table and setting his chin on them. "I don't like this place."

"You're just going to have to get used to it, Axel. Besides, what other world have you been to where they have over ten thousand flavors of ice cream to try out?" Demyx asked, an optimistic tone in his voice.

"I don't want ice cream. I want to go _home_."

"Well, if you're gonna just mope, then…"

Demyx trailed off. Axel looked up at him, and his expression shifted to one of concern. The blonde's eyes had glazed over, and he was swaying slightly, like he couldn't keep balanced even sitting down.

"Demyx?" Axel said, and then it hit him too. Dizziness. A ringing in his ears that drowned out all his thoughts.

Within moments, Demyx hit the floor, and Axel followed mere seconds later.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

The figure outside lowered his hand. He watched from his hiding spot as both former Nobodies collapsed, and other customers in the shop rushed to their aid.

_This should give them time, if there are no other setbacks, _he thought, his energy completely concentrated on the two unconscious figures. In their weakened state, it didn't take much to unlock what had previously been locked.

Now all he could do was hope that they managed to figure things out on their own. He couldn't guide them as he could the others, not in this world.


	3. Chapter 3

When Axel woke up, it wasn't in a sunlit living room, but a stark white room with the shades drawn.

He winced and blinked a few times, still feeling unnaturally groggy. Then, he remembered what happened.

_Demyx.  
_

He shot up in an instant, looking around the room. An empty bed was to his right; two, if he counted his double vision. So where was Demyx?

He could feel the difference. Before, he could've cared less- sure, he'd worried about Roxas, but it had never hit him like this. He was shaken to the core, unable to cope with the overload, the new sensation of feeling emotions fully and completely. Having a heart was, once again, more of a drawback; he didn't like feeling panicked and helpless.

He swung his feet off the side of the bed and tried to stand up, stumbling a few feet before leaning against a chair near the bed. He was weak, tired, and dizzy. Definitely not normal.

The door suddenly swung open, and a man in a simple blue outfit stepped in. "Oh! Oh, sit down, sir!" he yelped, taking hold of Axel's shoulder and trying to steer him back toward the bed. Axel shrugged him off.

"Where's Demyx?"

"Who?"

"He was with me, he passed out too, where is he?"

Recognition lit up the man's eyes. "He's right down the hallway, in a different room. No need to worry. You need to sit down or you might pass out again."

"I don't believe you," Axel snapped, taking a few more shaky steps toward the door. "I need to see him."

"At least let me take you in a wheelchair…"

Axel gave the man the most effective glare he could muster; it was enough. He backed off.

"Which room?"

The man sighed. "Three rooms to the left."

Axel gathered his strength, and then stepped out the door into the hallway. He felt like he'd been asleep for days; maybe he had.

_Three rooms to the left…here._

He pushed open the plain-looking door to reveal a room exactly like his own, only with two people occupying it instead of one. Demyx lay on the bed by the window, still unconscious. In the first bed sat a chubby teenage girl watching TV, her leg encased in some kind of metal frame and bolted. It looked painful, to say the least, but she looked up and smiled as Axel walked past her.

Axel dropped into the chair beside Demyx's bed, relieved that he'd made it this far. He didn't get peace for long, though.

"One of my nurses told me you'd left your room."

A man in a white coat stepped up to the foot of Demyx's bed, taking the clipboard out of the slot on the end of the bed. "You're related to this patient?"

Axel hesitated. "I'm his…his roommate."

"I see," the doctor said, setting the chart back down. "An odd case, both of you collapsing at the same time for no apparent reason. We did testing, found nothing but an elevated heart rate."

_Ironic._

"How long has it been?"

The doctor glanced down at the chart again. "Almost 24 hours."

_I knew something was wrong with this place. I knew it wasn't over, _Axel thought, looking back down at Demyx. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine, assuming he follows your example and wakes up as well. I'd like to keep you for observation a little longer, but otherwise…you're perfectly healthy. You'll be free to go home."

Axel nodded. The doctor only stayed put a few more moments, as if he wanted to say more, but then he turned and left the room. Axel sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"He's not really telling the truth," the girl in the other bed said quietly. Axel glanced over his shoulder at her.

"What?"

"I heard the nurses talking when they brought him in," she continued. "They were talkin' about you two. Something about the cat scans they did wasn't normal, but they weren't going to tell you because it wasn't conclusive. And they didn't think it was harmful, didn't want to scare you."

Axel wasn't surprised. He muttered a 'thanks', and then turned away, planning on ignoring her once again.

"Were you abducted by aliens?"

Axel frowned, swiveling in his chair to look at her again. "Were we _what_?"

"I promise I won't tell if you were. I heard they do all kinds of experiments and stuff, and I was just thinking that maybe you'd been-"

"Shut up."

"Oh. Right."

A chuckle from the bed drew Axel's attention, and he looked back at Demyx to see those blue-green eyes open.

"Be nice to the poor kid, Axel," Demyx said, his voice slurring a bit. He seemed even more dazed than Axel.

"About time you woke up. I've been here for hours."

The girl giggled. "More like six minutes."

"Didn't I tell you to shut it?"

Demyx laughed again weakly, pushing himself up to a sitting position with some evident difficulty. "What happened?"

Axel shrugged. "Evidently, we got abducted by aliens."

"Wow. I'm never buying that flavor of ice cream again. But seriously, what happened?"

"Don't know."

Demyx chuckled nervously. "See, every time you show up, strange things happen."

"Either way, they said we can leave soon."

"Can't wait. I hate doctors."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

True to his word, the doctor allowed them to leave soon after, with the guarantee that they'd both take it easy for a couple of days- and no driving. So a cab ride was their best option to get home.

The ride was mostly in silence. Axel and Demyx were both lost in their own thoughts, knowing that there was more to what had happened- they just hadn't figured it out yet.

"Maybe it's a simulation. Like what they did with Roxas," Axel suggested with a shrug, breaking the strained silence.

"They would've erased our memories," Demyx said quietly. "Why make the effort, anyway? Why us? Why this world?"

"…I hadn't gotten that far yet."

"Well, as soon as you do, let me know."

Axel glanced at Demyx again, and then smiled. The dry humor, the biting wit, it wasn't something he was used to hearing from the blonde. Then again, all the other times he'd encountered Demyx were during stressful meetings or even more stressful missions. Not exactly the best time to be gauging a man's normal personality.

The taxi driver was looking at them strangely in the mirror, but neither paid any attention. They finally got back to the apartment complex, paid the cab driver, and headed upstairs to Demyx's apartment.

"I feel like I could sleep for days," Demyx said with a sigh, unlocking the door and practically falling into the living room. Sam was waiting on them inside, and he greeted Demyx with a happy bark and a strange prancing- but as soon as he saw Axel, it turned into a menacing growl.

"Back off, mutt," Axel growled, forming flames over his hands and barely resisting the urge to throw fireballs at the dog. Sam whimpered and backed away.

Demyx frowned, turned around, and his eyes widened.

It was then that Axel realized that he'd just used his powers.

"Holy shit!" Axel yelped, staring at the flames on his own hands. He smirked, then adjusted his stance and summoned his chakrams. The spiked wheels spun and formed in his hands, flooding him with power and energy he never thought he would feel again in his afterlife.

"You…your powers, they're…"

"They're back," Axel said with a gleeful grin, and then he looked up at Demyx. "What about yours?"

"I don't know…"

"Give it a shot!"

Demyx hesitated again, then lifted his hand and formed a twisting column of water around his arm. It shone and morphed, the energy of it causing a breeze in the room. Lifting his hand higher, Demyx summoned his sitar, and stumbled under the weight of the instrument as it appeared in his hands.

"That's why we blacked out! Something restored our powers!" Axel said happily, allowing the chakrams to fade as fire danced around his feet. "This is great!"

Demyx was staring at his sitar with an expression of wonder on his face, his fingertips sliding along the strings of the instrument. He'd forgotten how _right_ it felt to hold this instrument, to play a gentle melody.

"First you show up…now our powers are back…what next?" he asked, playing a few soft notes. They came as naturally as if he'd never stopped playing.

"Maybe we're going back. Maybe this world was just…storage. A temporary hideaway," Axel said, his excitement growing by the moment.

"Or maybe we'll have to fight again."

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing. The fights made things interesting."

The sitar shimmered and disappeared from Demyx's hands, and the musician dropped his hands to his sides. "I was just starting to get used to _not_ having to fight."

Axel gave Demyx a frustrated look. "You're such a wimp. You should be happy. I know you missed that thing."

"I didn't miss beating people over the head with it."

"No one's saying you have to do that! Why is this such a big problem with you, huh? Why can't you just be happy about this? You were happy about everything else before!"

"Because I just started to get things worked out here!" Demyx said helplessly. "I'm just getting on my feet after hitting rock bottom, and suddenly you drop in here with your big ideas and talk about _home_, and now this? Come on, you know the Organization was never really my thing, and you want me to jump right back into it?"

Axel was taken aback by the sudden show of anger. He crossed his arms and cocked his head to one side. "It doesn't have to be about the Organization. This is about _us_. You and me. Who cares why we can use our powers now, the point is that we can!"

Demyx shook his head slowly. "You just aren't going to understand. I don't even know why I bothered trying to explain."

"Don't talk down to me, number nine."

"Don't call me that!"

Sam growled and snapped at Axel, obviously defending his angry owner. Axel lifted a hand to pummel the dog with fire, but before his hand even lit up, a fist connected with his jaw.

"_Don't touch my dog._"

"You little-"

Axel got back to his feet and summoned a chakram- one was all he needed for this. But Demyx didn't attack again, didn't summon his weapon, didn't even move.

"I don't want a fight. But if you even think about attacking Sam again, I will hurt you."

"Yeah right, you pansy. I'd kill you before you took a step."

"Probably just put me in another world where I have to deal with starting another life. So, go right ahead."

"Don't tempt me."

"Look, either start a fight or get out. I don't feel like dealing with you right now."

Axel snarled, then unleashed a javelin of fire at Demyx, who threw up a hasty water block. It worked, barely. Axel was just about ready to attack again when something rose out of the floor behind Demyx. Something fairly large with bright yellow eyes.

A Heartless. All thoughts of the domestic disturbance went out the window.

"Demyx, behind you!"

"Oh, I'm not gonna fall for-"

Axel grabbed Demyx's wrist, yanking him forward just as the Heartless leapt. The black creature landed on the floor right where Demyx had just been, and Demyx spun around, stunned.

"A Heartless? _Here?_"

Axel gave his chakram a firm toss, slicing through the Heartless and exploding it into a black dust. Demyx and Axel gave each other a worried look, their prior argument forgotten. Demyx let out a sigh.

"I think this is a big clue as to why we have our powers again…"


	4. Chapter 4

Though they were exhausted, weak, and spooked already, Axel and Demyx spent the next few hours patrolling the area around Demyx's apartment. If the Heartless wasn't an isolated incident, they wanted to be the first to know about it.

"Look, uh…sorry about your dog," Axel finally said after a long, uncomfortable silence in the patrol.

"Sam."

"Right. Sam. I mean, I wouldn't actually kill the thing, I'd just…singe it."

"It's okay."

Another silence, more comfortable than the last. Demyx stuffed his hands in his pockets, finally beginning to relax again. It had shaken him up to realize that after having a heart for a year and coming to appreciate it, it might have been taken away in that one instant of him being careless.

"Maybe when you got dropped here, into this world, that Heartless was close enough to get drawn in too," he said with a shrug.

"You think it's coincidence that we got our powers back right before that Heartless showed up?"

"I don't know. But it did show up only a couple of days after you."

Axel frowned. "That's too many coincidences for my taste."

"Well, it looks like the Heartless was alone, anyway," Demyx said with a sigh. "I wonder…"

"What?"

"I wonder if Larxene got her powers back, too."

Axel winced. "I'm not calling her again."

Demyx sighed again, pulling out his cell phone and dialing the number. The phone rang four times before someone finally picked up.

"What!"

Demyx jerked in surprise, holding the phone further away from his ear. "Larxene?"

"Demyx, that had better not be you. I'm in the middle of mind blowing sex-"

"I just had a quick question…wait, what?"

"-and I've got _idiots_ calling my cell phone at fuckin' three in the morning-"

"Did you get your powers back?"

"-I don't know _why_ I even gave you this number, and hell, if I get my powers back you'll be the first to know, because I'll use them to dismember you, starting with your _dick_!"

_Click._

"Well…now we know," Demyx said, putting the phone away and rubbing his ear.

"I heard all of that and I really didn't want to."

"I'm sorry. I'll turn down the volume on my phone next time."

"I don't think it would help."

"…Can I go bleach my brain now?"

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

The next three days went by quickly. Demyx went back to work, there was no sign of any more Heartless, and Axel took to exploring the city when Demyx was at work.

In the evenings, when Demyx wasn't giving guitar lessons, he introduced Axel to the more interesting aspects of this new society- for example, miniature golf and the cinema. Demyx was insistent that Axel wouldn't even count as human until he'd seen _Snakes on a Plane_.

Quite suddenly, Axel was even less fond of snakes.

And of course, he learned the hard way how fussy people get when you burn the stupid windmill thing to keep it from whacking your golf ball away from the hole.

What surprised him most, though, was how much he enjoyed Demyx's company. Before he'd simply seen the blonde musician as a nuisance, a guy who did nothing but whine, complain, and occasionally cause lost sleep by playing music at two in the morning.

Turns out it was just the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or maybe having a heart changed Demyx.

Maybe having a heart…changed _Axel_.

"I'm home!"

Axel looked up from the show he'd been watching about some serial killer who ate people, and he immediately burst out laughing. Demyx was covered in brightly colored paint.

"The kids got a little carried away," he said, dropping his bag on a table. "Speaking of the kids, we're having a field trip tonight. Wanna come?"

"A field trip?"

"Yeah. We're all going to the carnival. And ever since you visited class they've been asking about the guy with the crazy hair and the black dots on his face."

"I don't do well with kids."

"Aw, come on. It's a carnival, Axel!"

"I don't know…"

"They have tons of great food."

"Alright, sure."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Can we go to the carousel?"

"I wanna win a teddy bear!"

"Is that your _real_ hair, mister?"

Axel felt like his brain was about to implode. He was supposed to keep track of all these little…things? They wouldn't even shut up for more than two seconds!

Nonetheless, Demyx was unfazed. He somehow herded the kids around with ease, and managed to keep track of all of them.

"Alright kids, here's what we're gonna do!" Demyx said loudly, commanding the kids around like a cheerful drill sergeant. "If you want to get on the carousel, go ahead. I'll wait at the exit. The rest of you, stay at one of these three booths, and Mr. Axel will help you win cool stuff."

"I'll do _what_?" Axel asked, but by that point he was already being dragged away by two little girls.

"Will you win me a teddy bear?"

"I want the big dragon stuftie!"

Fifteen minutes (and almost thirty dollars) later, both girls were clutching their hard-won prizes- and Axel was just about ready to hunt down and combust the sick person who invented the game with the bottles and rings. They met back up with Demyx's group, and Demyx kneeled down in front of the two girls.

"Did you two have fun?"

"Yeah!"

"Mr. Axel yelled a bad word at the game. He told us not to tell you," the other girl whispered, and Axel smacked his forehead. Luckily, Demyx didn't have a chance to comment before Tracey walked up to their group.

"How's everything going?" she asked, looking curiously between Axel and Demyx.

"Just fine," Demyx said, ruffling a kid's hair. Axel just stood there, looking a bit dazed from the whole ordeal.

"I just came over to tell you that a couple more parent chaperones showed up. Why don't you two have some fun on your own for a while? You're too young to be stuck with the kids at a carnival the whole time," Tracey offered, and Axel nodded fervently.

"You know, Demyx, that sounds like a _great_ idea. Let's go," he said, grabbing Demyx's arm and dragging him away from the small, swarming monsters.

"That was sweet of you, winning them those prizes," Demyx said with a smirk.

"They were gonna chew my ankles off if I didn't."

Demyx laughed, the sound sending a tingle down Axel's spine. "Relax, they're just kids."

Axel shuddered. He was going to have nightmares tonight for sure about being swarmed and smothered by hundreds of annoying children. "Is there anything else fun to do around here?"

"That doesn't involve children?"

"That's the idea."

"Well, there's the Gravitron…but that'd probably just get us both sick…how about the House of Darkness?"

"House of Darkness?"

"It's a maze. With no lights."

Axel smirked. "I could fix that."

"…That would defeat the entire purpose of going in it."

"Oh, alright," Axel muttered. "Lead the way."

Demyx led Axel down the path just a bit further, until they came to the House of Darkness. The attendant took a look at their armbands, then let them go up the stairs to the entrance.

Axel stepped inside, and Demyx followed closely, letting the door slam shut behind them. Now Axel couldn't see a thing; he waved his hand within an inch of his nose and saw nothing.

A hand touched his back. "Why are you just standing there?" Demyx asked, amusement evident in his voice.

"I can't see."

"Just walk!"

Axel took a tentative step forward, then another, resisting the temptation to summon some fire to see where he was going. Instead he used his hands to feel along the path, and stepped slowly in case the floor became uneven.

After a few minutes of this, he was even enjoying it. The floor rose and fell, there were sharp turns, gradual curves, and stairs, and he had to depend on touch alone to find them. He heard Demyx's soft footsteps behind him, and occasionally a hand would touch his back or shoulder as the blonde tried to keep him within reach.

Then, suddenly, alarms began to sound and lights flashed, and a dog-like creature leapt at them from behind a mesh screen. Axel let out a cry of surprise, and immediately torched the creature- only to find from the metal frame under the fur that it was fake.

Demyx was laughing hysterically behind him, and Axel turned around and shot him a glare. "Why didn't you tell me they had those?"

"Because…the look on your face…"Demyx managed through laughter.

Axel had to admit, he'd have found it pretty damn funny too, were he not the victim.

"That's it. You're leading," Axel said, grabbing the blonde and pushing him to the front. Demyx was still laughing even as they began walking again.

They ran into a couple more of the 'booby traps', but at least Axel didn't fry those as well. They were getting near to the end, or so Axel hoped, when Demyx suddenly stopped.

"Dead end. We took a wrong turn back there, we should've gone right," he said, turning around. Axel could feel Demyx's breath on his neck, and moments later the musician's hands were on Axel's chest, probably to get him to move back. The hallway was only big enough for one person, not big enough to pass.

Axel didn't move. Not backwards, anyway.

Before any coherent thought occurred, Axel had leaned forward, put one hand on the side of Demyx's face, and clumsily kissed the younger man. He felt Demyx stiffen, but it was only moments before he leaned into the kiss, and Axel felt one of Demyx's hands move up to tangle in his hair.

Soon Axel had Demyx pressed against the dead end, his hands on Demyx's hips, holding him close. Demyx still had one hand in Axel's hair, the other low on his chest. The darkness surrounding them seemed to heighten every sensation, and make the whole thing that much more exciting.

Axel wasn't really sure how they made it back to Demyx's apartment that night. Somehow they did, though, and once there they left a trail of discarded clothing from the door to the bedroom. The rest of the night consisted of exploration, nervous words, soft moans and loud cries of pleasure, and eventually the rhythmic slamming of the headboard against the wall.

Then that moment, that moment when Demyx lost all control- Axel had never seen anything more _powerful_ in his life.

When it was all over, Axel collapsed onto Demyx, his breath coming in short gasps and his body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Demyx was still dazed as he wrapped an arm around the redhead's waist, and Axel laid his head down on Demyx's chest, listening to the musician's slowing heartbeat.

"Wow…" Demyx said softly, letting his eyes fall closed. "Wow."

Axel smiled, kissing Demyx's chest lightly. "Glad you enjoyed yourself."

"Mmhmm," Demyx hummed, obviously not completely coherent yet. Axel watched the blonde for a few moments, sighing softly- maybe this world wasn't so bad, if he got to experience this.

Maybe having a heart wasn't so bad, if he got to _feel_ this.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Axel woke up shivering the next morning- Demyx was gone. Off to work again. Though Axel wanted nothing more than to have Demyx all to himself today, he was beginning to understand the whole 'have to go to work to earn money or we starve' thing.

Reluctantly, Axel got out of bed and stretched, then got dressed and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. He'd just gotten out the milk and cereal when the phone rang.

_Probably Larxene wanting to yell at us some more, _Axel thought, stepping around the counter and picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Axel! I need you at the school!"

"Demyx? What's wrong?"

Axel heard the sound of a water attack. In the background, he could hear the kids crying.

"Heartless!" Demyx said breathlessly. "We're trapped back here! I'm holding them off, but they just keep-_shit_!"

A child shrieked in terror, and there was a loud clatter- the phone dropping to the floor.

"_Dance, water, da-_"

The phone cut off. In seconds, Axel was out the door and sprinting for the school. Outside, it was pandemonium; Heartless seemed to be everywhere, attacking people on the street, forming out of the ground itself.

And quite suddenly, Axel realized that he wasn't alone. Sam had caught up with him, and the Doberman was now running at his side.

_Hang in there, Demyx,_ Axel pleaded silently as he approached the school. He spotted Tracey outside, trying to herd the fleeing children in the right direction.

"Where's Demyx?" he asked her. She looked up, tears running down her cheeks.

"Still d-down by the classroom. They couldn't get out…"

Axel nodded and pushed his way past the running kids into the school, Sam right on his heels. He sprinted past Heartless, down the hallway and toward the red door. The red door that, actually, wasn't there anymore- the Heartless had chewed and scraped right through it. Demyx stood in the doorway, holding off the onslaught with water attacks; Axel could see the kids huddled in the classroom behind him, wide-eyed.

It all happened too fast. While Axel was in the middle of summoning his chakrams, a Heartless leapt, knocking Demyx flat on his back.

Sam was on the Heartless in an instant, barking and growling as he attacked. It was a Heartless pile-up as all of the Heartless attacked the dog to get through to Demyx, and as soon as Axel had his chakrams in hand, he let loose on the creatures.

It was a short but intense battle, and when all the Heartless had been mowed down, he looked down to see Demyx cradling a bloody Sam in his arms.

The dog was dead.

Demyc's fists clenched, and he looked up at Axel, his eyes bright with tears and helpless fury.

"It's time we talked," a voice suddenly said, a voice that both Demyx and Axel heard- but no one else did.

Moments later, for the second time that week, both Demyx and Axel fell unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

"Axel…Axel!"

Axel groaned and rolled over, blinking a few times. It was bright, too bright. He closed his eyes again, the recollections of what had happened slowly becoming clear again.

"Demyx?"

"I'm here."

Axel opened his eyes again, this time focusing on his surroundings. A white room, small, with no windows or doors. Demyx stood beside him, his clothing stained with blood.

"Are you hurt?"

"No. It's all…"

_Sam's._

"Where are we?" Axel asked, getting to his feet and walking to the wall. "Who brought us here?"

"That would be me."

Axel and Demyx spun around, and standing on the other side of the room was a figure. A three foot tall figure with very large ears. A mouse, to be exact.

"Hey…you're that guy, aren't you?" Demyx asked slowly, brilliantly deductive, as usual.

"King Mickey," Axel said with a frown, his hands twitching with the urge to summon his chakrams.

"I'm glad you remember," Mickey said with a smile. "We'll have to make this fast, I'm afraid."

"You opened a portal to our world," Axel said. "That means…"

"No, Axel, you can't go back," Mickey said sympathetically. "This is a place in between worlds. Because you're dead to our world, if you tried to come back you would cease to exist."

"That would really suck," Demyx said, crossing his arms. "What's this about?"

"The Heartless are slowly invading your world."

Axel snorted. "No, really? Hadn't noticed."

"You need a keyblade master or you'll be overrun," Mickey continued. "Only the keyblade can save you."

"Are you sending Sora or something?" Demyx asked.

"No. This world isn't Sora's to save. The world of the dead needs a savior of its own," Mickey said. "That's where you two come in. You need to take the keyblade and find the boy who can use it."

"We don't need to do anything. We can handle this without some scrawny little kid waving around a key," Axel said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"You only delay them. The invasion will continue until you find and activate the keyblade master."

Axel sneered. "Why should we help you?"

"Because you have hearts now. You're in the same peril as everyone else in your world."

Demyx raised an eyebrow. "No kid in this world is going to believe he's the master of anything but how many marshmallows he can fit in his mouth all at once."

Mickey smiled. "Then you'll have to convince him."

Axel and Demyx both fell silent. Neither seemed convinced.

"Alright, how about this," Mickey said, and a simple keyblade formed in his hands. "This keyblade will be waiting at your home, along with all I know about the boy and his whereabouts. Should you decide to do this, all the information you need will be there and waiting. You should have a few days before the Heartless attack again."

"But-"

"You have to go now!"

Everything went black.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

The entire city was shut down.

Police were everywhere, along with the scientists and government workers trying to figure out what had happened. People were roaming the city looking for lost loved ones, even though authorities had advised staying at home.

The attack had been worldwide. Thousands had been lost.

Axel was walking the streets too, but not to look for anyone- just to make sure Mickey had been right about the Heartless not returning immediately. He'd been out since sunrise, and so far, he'd seen no sign of them.

He went back to the apartment and walked in the door to find Demyx sitting on the couch, Sam's collar clutched in his hands. He winced; Demyx had been like this all day. Not doing anything, not talking, not eating, just sitting.

"Demyx? You okay?"

"Yeah."

Demyx didn't even look at him. Axel slowly walked over and sat next to him on the couch, cuddling up against him.

"I'm sorry."

Demyx sighed. "It's not your fault."

"Anything I can do?"

Demyx shook his head, then fell silent once again. Axel had been planning to talk to Demyx about the keyblade and Mickey's words, and what he wanted to do, but he had the feeling it wouldn't do much good right now. Not with the state that Demyx was presently in.

Axel hated seeing him like this. He had to do _something_. He kissed Demyx's neck and stood up.

"I'm going out again."

Demyx nodded. Axel grabbed the newspaper off the coffee table and walked out the door.

"Classifieds…" he muttered, flipping to the back of the paper. He ran his finger down the columns until he found the one titled 'dogs'. Most of the ads were for 300 and 400 dollar puppies, shelters…there. Axel stopped at a small ad near the middle.

_Doberman/collie mix puppies, free to good home._

He read the address; it wasn't far from the elementary school. He set off, determined to cheer up Demyx. And what better to cheer him up with than another dog?

He arrived at the small blue house and knocked on the door, shifting his weight nervously. It was a few moments before he heard footsteps, and the door opened a crack. An older woman with reddish-brown hair peered out at him.

"Can I help you?"

"Um…yeah. I know it's odd timing, but…I need a puppy."

The woman blinked in surprise, then opened the door wider, gesturing for him to come inside. "Did you lose a pet yesterday?" she asked gently, leading the way through to the back of the house.

"No. My…" _Boyfriend? Lover? Roommate?_ "My boyfriend lost his dog."

"Boyfriend?"

Axel quirked an eyebrow, as if daring her to say something about it. "Yeah."

"That's sweet of you," she said quietly, stopping in front of a door. "They're right in here. Pick out whichever one you like."

Axel nodded, stepping inside the room, which container just a washer, dryer- and six rambunctious puppies. The moment he was in the room his feet were attacked by six little puffballs of black and tan fur.

"Whoa. Calm down, kids," Axel said, kneeling down to get a closer look. They all tackled him, chewing on his shoes and pants. _This isn't working_, Axel thought. _I can't tell where one puppy ends and the next one begins._

He held out his hand palm-up and summoned a small flame, and all the puppies ran away- except for one. The one left, a shaggy black puppy with a tan streak on top of its head, tried to bite the fire, and Axel barely closed his fist over the flame in time to keep the dog from getting a burned tongue.

He picked up the puppy and stood up, holding the furry creature at eye level. It wagged its long tail and licked his nose.

"Okay…you're stupid, you're cut…Demyx'll love you. Come on," he said, tucking the critter under his arm and leaving the puppy room. The woman was waiting outside with a tiny collar and leash in hand.

"Here. You can take these too," she said, and Axel took the collar and leash, which the puppy promptly tried to attack. It settled for gnawing on Axel's hand when it couldn't reach the leash. "That one's a boy. He has some…issues, but he'll make a fine pet!" the woman continued.

"I'll bet," Axel said, heading for the front door. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Not a problem. Good luck!"

The walk home was interesting, to say the least. The puppy tried to attack anything that moved- Axel's clothing, Axel's hands, Axel's hair, the newspaper and leash Axel was still carrying- and he crawled all over Axel to do so. Axel made it home with the puppy still in hand, though, and he wasn't surprised to walk in and see that Demyx hadn't moved.

"Demyx," Axel said, stepping over in front of the Melodious Nocturne, and then holding up the squirming puppy. Demyx looked up, and his eyes widened at the little piranha puppy in Axel's hands.

"Um…what…"

"It's a puppy," Axel said brightly. "I got it for you, cause…well, because."

Demyx stared at the puppy for a few moments, but instead of an expression of glee, he looked even _more_ upset. He stood up, stepping away from the puppy.

"I don't _want _another dog!" he snapped, backing away from Axel. "I never want another dog again!"

Axel's mouth dropped open, but Demyx was already gone. The bedroom door slammed, and Axel and the puppy looked at each other with similar frightened expressions.

"Sorry, kiddo. He isn't usually like this," Axel said, putting the puppy down on the floor. All fear forgotten, the puppy practically danced over to the fireplace, jumped in, settled down, and began gnawing on a log. "Good dog. Stay," Axel said, leaving the puppy with its oversized chew toy and walking down to the bedroom. He knocked lightly. "Demyx?"

No answer. He turned the knob and pushed the door open a bit, peering inside. Demyx was standing by the window, staring outside, his arms crossed over his chest. Sam's collar lay on the bedside table, right next to the keyblade and envelope Mickey had left.

Axel stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, and then he fell silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Unsure of what he _could_ say.

"Demyx…I'm sorry," he finally said with a helpless shrug. "I just wanted to help."

Demyx looked down, but didn't answer.

"Look, do you want me to take the dog back? I'll take him back. Stupid bastard bit me anyway. Reminds me of So-"

"No."

"No?"

"I just…I need…"

_Time_, Axel thought with a soft sigh. _I pushed him too far too soon._

Axel stepped up behind Demyx and wrapped his arms around the musician's waist, pulling him close. Demyx sighed shakily and leaned back against him.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he murmured, and Axel smirked.

"I'll let it slide this time, but next time I'll set your hair on fire."

Demyx chuckled. "Don't make me drench you."

Axel pulled Demyx away from the window and pulled him down on the bed, kissing him lightly.

"Try to relax," he said, and Demyx nodded, though Axel knew he wouldn't come out of this funk anytime soon. Axel laid back on the pillow, pulling Demyx down with him. The blonde cuddled up against Axel's side, laying his head on the redhead's chest.

Axel knew they had important things to discuss, and not very long to make the decisions set to them. But none of that really mattered right now, not when Demyx needed to recover from the blow. How someone could get so attached to a dog was beyond Axel, but who was he to question it? He'd only been dealing with this 'having a heart' thing for about a week. It felt a bit overwhelming.

_Not that I mind, _he thought, absent-mindedly stroking Demyx's hair. He glanced down a few minutes later to find that Demyx was fast asleep.

He decided to follow suit.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

When Axel woke up, he was cold again. Demyx was gone. A glance at the clock told him it had only been a few hours.

He stood up a bit stiffly and went out into the hallway, being as quiet as possible. In the living room he found Demyx sitting cross-legged on the floor, the puppy lying in his lap, content with the thorough petting he was getting.

Axel smiled, leaning against the wall. "Don't want another dog, right?"

Demyx looked up and smiled weakly. "He was crying."

"He's a puppy, that's what puppies do. They take advantage of you at every turn."

"Well, give the thing some food and come back to bed. I'm cold."

"Sora."

"What? I don't want _that_ brat in bed with me…"

"No, the puppy. I named him Sora. He reminds me of Sora."

"…You didn't."

"It fits him."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud…"

Demyx's expression suddenly became more serious, more somber. "I want to go find this keyblade kid. I want all the Heartless gone."

Axel hesitated, then nodded. "If that's what you want…you know you'll probably have to drop everything here, right? The job, the lessons…everything."

Demyx gave Axel a sheepish smile. "We weren't really meant for that kind of life in the first place, I think."

"Well…whatever you decide, I'll be right there with ya. Us Nobodies have to stick together now, right?"

The puppy barked, and Demyx chuckled. "Right."


	6. Chapter 6

Sora was finally asleep. Sora the puppy, that is. He was curled up on the foot of the bed, looking so innocent for having made so much of a mess in the past few minutes.

Axel sat down beside Demyx as the blonde opened up the envelope King Mickey had left with the keyblade. Inside was a folded piece of paper with loopy writing on it.

_Demyx and Axel,_

_The only clues I've found as to the keyblade bearer's whereabouts are listed here. I've discovered three letters in conjunction with his name many times- N, Y, and C. I don't know what they stand for. His name is Jacob, last name unknown, and we are approximating him to be around the age of 16. The keyblade should help you along with finding him- the closer it gets to its true bearer, the more its potential power will grow. You will be able to feel it._

_Good luck, and remember- you don't have much time!_

"NYC. That's New York City, where Larxene lives," Demyx said, looking up. "But there've gotta be two hundred kids in New York City with the name Jacob."

"…Maybe only one of them is sixteen?" Axel said, for once showing some optimism.

"We'll have to check every middle school and high school in the city, somehow convince them to give us information on every enrolled student named Jacob…"

"What if he doesn't go to school?"

"Then we're screwed."

"Oh."

Demyx sighed. "Guess I'd better call the school and tell them I'm not coming back."

Axel could definitely hear the sadness in that tone. "What are you gonna tell them?"

"The truth. Well, half of it, anyway," Demyx said with a shrug, picking up the bedside phone and dialing a number. He put it to his ear and waited a bit, and then Axel heard a voice on the other end of the line, but couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Hi, may I speak to Principal Rucker?" Demyx asked, and then he waited a few moments before speaking again. "Hi, Mr. Rucker, it's Demyx Davenport here. I have a spot of bad news."

A hesitation. "Yes, it does have something to do with the attacks. My family in New York wants me to come and stay with them, seeing as my mother is ill and all. They're very frightened that this might happen again."

_Since when did he turn into such a good liar? _Axel thought as Demyx listened to the other man speak.

"I'm afraid there's no getting out of it, sir. I'm the man of the family, you know how it is, I'm sure. Have to go look after my mom and sister, at least until all of this blows over."

Another long pause. Demyx's face flushed. "You know how imaginative kids can be, sir. I threw a bucket of out paintbrush cleaning water at the creatures, but I don't recall _conjuring _any. And my friend, well…I don't recall any lethal wheel weapons, either," he said with a nervous laugh.

A few more polite words, a kind goodbye, and Demyx hung up the phone with a sigh.

"Those kids aren't going to forget what happened anytime soon," Axel said softly. "Should we kill them?"

Demyx rolled his eyes. "This isn't the CIA, Axel. And unfortunately for the third graders but fortunately for us, no one is going to take the word of a ten year old who was hysterical at the time of the incident. They're going to assume that the children were in a psychosis from the trauma, triggered by the odd creatures. We don't have to worry."

"Oh, well that's good…wait, what's the CIA?"

"Nevermind."

"How are we gonna get to New York?"

Demyx frowned. "Well, we can't drive. That'd take a good three or four days, two if we didn't stop at all and didn't run into any construction or delays."

Axel looked around. "We could just open up a portal, right? We have our powers back."

"We opened portals in the other worlds using channels of magic that were already there. This planet has no magic. Without those pathways, there's no chance a portal would work."

"…When did you get all smart?"

"We'll have to take a plane," Demyx said, and Axel's eyes widened.

"No way. I saw the movie. People put snakes on those things."

Demyx rolled his eyes. "It was just a movie, Axel. No one actually does that."

"Oh," Axel paused. "Are you _sure_?"

"Absolutely, positively certain. And if I'm wrong, you can use me as a shield against the big nasty snakes," Demyx teased, and Axel punched his arm.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Axel had been through four packets of peanuts, and the plane hadn't even taxied out to the runway yet.

"Axel…Axel, relax," Demyx said as Axel struggled to open the fifth packet. Demyx grabbed his hand, lacing his fingers through Axel's and forcing him to lay his arm on the armrest.

"I looked up planes on your computer last night. They crash a lot," Axel pointed out, and Demyx snorted.

"No, actually, they don't crash often. But you never hear the end of it when they do, because it's so rare. Look, Sora isn't having any problems," he said, pointing to the puppy, who was sleeping soundly in the carrier under the seat in front of Axel.

"That's because he's _sedated_."

"Yeah, well, next time we fly, I'm sedating you and packing you in the overhead bin."

"Is this your first flight?" an overly cheerful flight attendant asked Axel as she paused by their seats. Axel nodded, taking a deep breath. "Well, the barf bag is tucked into the seat pocket in front of you," she continued, and Axel groaned, his hand tightening on Demyx's.

"We're all going to die."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Once they got in the air, the ride was smooth enough that Axel quickly got bored. He took to looking out the window for shapes in the cloud, making shapes with his peanuts on his tray, and asking Demyx if they were there yet.

Once off the plane, they did the only thing they could think of- they hailed a cab and took it to Larxene's apartment. They'd looked up her address before they left, because Demyx knew they couldn't afford a hotel or an apartment.

He could only hope the 'Savage Nymph' wouldn't have an Uzi by her door just in case they showed up randomly. Knowing her, it wasn't a far-off assumption.

"So, what do we do if she tries to kill us?" Axel asked as the cab pulled up to the high rise building

"Run and hide."

"Then where will we sleep?"

"A park bench?"

"When you say that, it makes it sound kinky."

Demyx laughed and paid the driver, and then followed Axel out of the cab. The apartment building in front of them was obviously one of the nicer downtown- Demyx couldn't imagine how much money Larxene must make to be able to live here.

They entered the front lobby, filled with plush furniture and potted plants, with a back glass wall that led to the indoor swimming pool and hot tub. Definitely the 'top of society' kind of dwelling.

"She doesn't deserve all this," Axel said, looking around with a frown and clutching Sora's carrying case in front of him. Unless a person were to take a very close look, they might not know a dog was in the small leather and mesh carrying bag. Luckily for them, Sora was still fast asleep.

"Be nice. If we're lucky, she'll be doing us a huge favor."

They took the elevator up to the 15th floor, where the doors opened to a long, carpeted hallway with muted lighting. There were only four apartments on each floor, so it wasn't hard to find hers. Once at the door, they set their bags to the side; they didn't want this to seem like a full-scale invasion. Axel only kept the bag Sora was sleeping in.

"Fifteen-C. This is it," Demyx said, taking a deep breath as he stared at the door. Muted voices could be heard from inside- Larxene wasn't the only one there. Demyx glanced at Axel, who rolled his eyes and then knocked firmly.

The voices stopped for a few moments, then there were footsteps coming toward the door. Demyx felt his heart speed up; they would be lucky if she didn't shoot them the moment she saw who they were.

But it wasn't a 'she' who opened the door. In fact, it was a very familiar 'he', wearing blue jeans, a button up shirt, and a blazer, and holding a glass of wine.

"Zexion?" Demyx and Axel said simultaneously in disbelief. Zexion arched an eyebrow.

"Well, you're the last two people I expected to see on Larxene's doorstep," he said slowly.

The blonde lawyer's voice rang out from behind him. "That had better not be who I think it is."

"Oh, I think it's worse," Zexion said, opening the door the rest of the way and gesturing for the pair to come in. After an uneasy glance at each other, they did. Axel held Sora's bag down at his side, and Demyx prayed neither Zexion nor Larxene would take a closer look until they felt more assured that they weren't about to die.

Larxene stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, a long black cocktail dress draping off her figure, and a glass of the same wine in hand. Her hair was styled in some ridiculously elaborate concoction of curls and jewels. Demyx and Axel both stared as if they'd never seen a woman before.

"Oh, would you stop that?" Larxene snapped, turning to face them. "I can kick your sorry asses, dress or no dress."

"How do you think she got to where she is, by wearing a suit?" Zexion murmured as he passed by them.

"You two…you aren't…" Demyx started, though he seemed to have lost the ability to finish a full sentence.

"Us? No. He's a business colleague. He came here after the party to translate a file for me, if you must know," Larxene said, putting her wine down on a glass stand by the window. "Now, what are you two doing here, and how do I get rid of you quickly?"

"Well, see, that's the thing," Axel said nervously. "We need your help."

Larxene burst out laughing. "You need my help? And what in heaven or hell gives you the idea that I'll help you?"

"Because you're gonna die too if we don't pull this off," Demyx pointed out.

This seemed to perk Larxene's interest, although it was disturbing that she seemed more enthralled by the idea than she was scared or worried. All four of them sat down on the suede furniture, Axel set Sora's bag down at his feet, and Axel and Demyx took turns explaining everything that had happened since Axel got dropped into Earth.

"So…in summary, you want to live here with me while you go find a new keyblade brat to save the world," Larxene said when they were finished, leaning back in her chair. Demyx nodded.

"That's basically it, yeah."

"And what do I get in return?"

Axel scowled. "You get to keep living, bitch," he said, receiving a sharp kick from Demyx for the added expletive.

"Add in Demyx doing the cooking and Axel doing the cleaning for free the entire time you're here, and you've got a deal," Larxene said, ignoring Axel's comment.

"Don't you have maids or something to do that?" Demyx asked.

"Well, sure. But I have to pay them. Every day you two do it, I don't have to shell out the cash."

Demyx snorted. "Fine."

"You didn't let me finish the terms," Larxene said, a cruel grin forming on her face. "No one does work in my home unless they're in uniform. If you're going to do the work of maids, I want you dressed like maids."

Demyx's face turned bright red. Axel's jaw dropped open. Zexion simply gave Larxene a look of disbelief.

"Good one, Larxene. Are you sure you want to see that, though? I can't imagine the mental scarring…"

"I'm waiting on an answer, boys. I don't have all night to barter terms with you."

Axel opened his mouth to curse at her, but before a syllable left his lips, Demyx's hand clamped over his mouth tightly. "Fine. We'll do it," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Axel made a muffled sound of protest behind the Demyx-gag, but the deal was set as Larxene shook Demyx's hand.

"Wonderful. I'll have my designer stop by here tomorrow at 3 o'clock to take your measurements. If you're not here, the deal's off and you're out."

Axel pried Demyx's hand off his mouth. "The heartless are supposed to attack again tomorrow, we told you that…"

"Well, I'm a busy woman, and they didn't make an appointment. They'll have to work around my schedule."

A bark suddenly cut through the air like a razor through skin. Axel and Demyx froze, and Larxene's eyes narrowed.

"That had better not be…"

Another bark, and then a whimper. Sora was awake.

Larxene rubbed her temples, obviously barely restraining her fury now. "You brought a dog into my apartment?" she asked, her voice incredibly tense.

"It's only a tiny one," Demyx said, reaching down and opening the bag. He held a wriggling, licking, whimpering Sora out to Larxene. "Plus…he's cute."

Larxene stared at the door as if it were dripping acid on her pristine hardwood floors. "Get it out. Now."

"We had a deal!" Axel pointed out.

"The deal didn't cover a damn mutt!" Larxene yelled, and then Sora literally leapt out of Demyx's hands- and right into Zexion's arms. Zexion wrinkled his nose and held the dog out at arms' length.

"Why do you two have a puppy?" he asked as the puppy tried desperately to get within licking reach of his face.

"Well, Demyx's other dog died, so I went out and got Sora there…"

"Sora?" Larxene shrieked. "You not only bring a dog into my house, but its name is _Sora_?"

Eventually, somehow, they got Larxene restrained. Zexion even helped, citing the explanation that it would only make things worse later if any of them ended up bleeding on the suede furniture. As it was, all three men ended up with claw-marks somewhere.

It took Axel and Demyx sitting out in the hallway with Sora for an hour for Zexion to calm Larxene down. He eventually came out and got them, once Larxene had retreated to her bedroom.

"You'll have the bedroom that's the last door on the left, down that hallway. She said you can stay if she never hears or sees the dog again," Zexion explained as he closed the door behind them. "And she's dead serious."

"I don't doubt it," Axel said, giving Zexion an odd look. "Why are you helping us like this?"

Zexion shrugged. "No sense in holding grudges from another lifetime. We're all different people now, different than we were," he said, picking up his briefcase from the table. "Oh…and if you two were planning on keeping your little fling a secret, you kind of ruined it by leaving that hickey uncovered," he added, gesturing to Demyx's neck as he passed them and left the apartment.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Axel, wake up! Wake up!"

"Nggh."

"The sunrise is so gorgeous from these windows!"

"Nothin' is gorgeous at sunrise," Axel slurred, pulling a pillow over his head. He was still sore from last night, when he and Demyx had made full use of the king size bed and thick walls between theirs and Larxene's room.

Tuning out a whining puppy to have sex was harder than Axel had thought it would be.

Moments later, a warm body jumped on top of him. "Come on, get up. We have work to do. And we have to be back here by three."

"One more hour."

"Nope," Demyx said, yanking the covers down and then stealing the pillow.

Needless to say, Demyx got Axel up and going in a fairly timely manner. By eight o'clock, they were out of the apartment and walking to the first school to check, with Sora in tow on his leash, and the Keyblade in Demyx's backpack.

Getting the schools to give them the information they needed proved harder than they originally thought, but after much negotiating, fibs, and a few under-the-table transactions of cash, they got what they needed at each place. They went through eight different schools, finding 42 different Tylers with no reaction from the keyblade before stopping for lunch at a corner café.

"This is starting to feel ridiculous," Demyx said with a sigh, poking at his French fries. Sora sat by his feet and whined, waiting on a French fry to drop. "We can't find him just…by…"

He looked up. The keyblade was generating power, and he could feel it, like electricity running through him.

"Jacob!"

A girl had yelled the name. Axel and Demyx both caught sight of her, watching as she and a boy with her sat down at a table where this 'Jacob' sat. Jacob had dark brown hair and brown eyes, and he was pretty scrawny for looking about 16.

And he looked…

"He looks familiar," Axel finished the thought for him. Demyx nodded, but he couldn't quite place the kid. Maybe it was just his imagination.

"That's him. The keyblade is practically making me dizzy," Demyx said softly, taking a drink of his chocolate milkshake. They kept an eye on Jacob's table as the boy finished his lunch, and both of them got ready to move when they saw him pick up his backpack.

"My dad's here, I gotta split," they heard him say.

"Aw, you should skip the rest of today with us!" the girl pleaded.

"No way. We're starting cat dissection today, no way I would miss that," Jacob said, and Axel and Demyx shared incredulous looks.

Jacob headed for a small, blue car parked by the café, and both Axel and Demyx stood and gathered their belongings- but the main reason for standing was to see into the car.

Once they saw who was in the driver's seat, they both froze in horror and shock. They heard father greet son as Jacob got in the car, and the voice only confirmed what they'd seen.

Vexen.

Jacob was Vexen's son.


	7. Chapter 7

"This changes _everything_."

"No, it doesn't," Demyx said with a sigh. "We still have to talk to Jacob."

Axel stopped pacing and gave Demyx a frustrated look. "You seem to have forgotten who his dad is."

"Don't tell me you're scared of him."

"I'm not scared!" Axel snapped. "I'd just prefer to _not_ confront the guy I impaled on my chakram."

"Fine. I'll do it," Demyx said, shrugging as he headed for the door. Axel practically leapt after him, grabbing onto his arm.

"You're not seeing anyone from the Organization alone."

"What? Afraid I'll cheat on you?"

"I'm afraid you'll get _hurt_."

Demyx recoiled as if he'd been slapped. "I don't know which is worse."

"Aw, come on, you know what I meant!"

"Yeah. You think I'm weak," Demyx said, pulling his arm out of Axel's grip.

"I do not!"

"I'm not a little kid, Axel," Demyx practically growled. "I don't need you holding my hand every time there might be danger around."

"Who was the one beggin' me to come down to the school and kick ass, then?"

Axel knew he shouldn't have said it the moment the words left his lips. Demyx fell silent, and he looked absolutely _crushed_- but that heartbreak quickly turned to fury, and he threw the door open and left the apartment. Axel followed an instant later, almost tripping over his own feet in his attempt to follow Demyx into the hallway.

"Demyx! Demyx, wait!"

"_Fuck off._"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it!" Axel insisted, picking up his pace to keep up with the blonde. Demyx was ignoring him completely now, and instead jabbed the call button for the elevator so hard Axel wouldn't have been surprised to see the plastic cover cracked.

"Demyx…please," Axel begged, and Demyx finally turned around.

"You're a fuckin' _bastard_."

"I know. I am."

"You think just a 'sorry' is going to make me forget what you just said?"

"It would be nice…"

Demyx groaned and turned back around, and Axel felt panic rise in him as quickly as the elevator was dropping toward their floor. He did the most drastic, most un-Axel-like gesture of apology that he could manage as the elevator drew closer; he dropped to his knees and gave Demyx a pleading look.

"Demyx…I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. Forgive me? Please?"

Demyx slowly turned back around, and Axel could tell the musicians resolve to stay angry was fading. The blonde still looked angry, but there was also a good amount of uncertainty there.

"I'm going to talk to Vexen alone first, and I'll come and get you from the car when I feel like he won't kill you."

Axel nodded. "Absolutely. Whatever you want."

"…Get up, you idiot."

Axel grinned and stumbled to his feet, tackling Demyx in a kiss just as the elevator doors opened. They both stumbled back into the elevator, not breaking the kiss even as the doors closed. Neither noticed when the elevator began to move downward, and neither did they notice the little old lady in the corner of the elevator- they were too preoccupied with the deepening kiss, the roaming hands, and the relief at the fight being over.

So, by the time the elevator got to the bottom and the doors re-opened, one of Axel's hands was shoved up under Demyx's shirt and the other was on the small of his back, holding him locked in the kiss. Demyx had one hand clutched in Axel's hair, and the other was clutching the front of the redhead's pants, toying with the zipper.

Someone cleared their throat quite loudly, and Axel and Demyx broke the kiss and looked up, jumping in surprise when the little old woman slipped past them and out of the elevator, looking quite terrified. A younger woman stood in front of the elevator in a suit-like outfit, tapping her foot impatiently as she watched them.

"I presume you're Axel and Demyx?"

Somehow the pair detangled from each other, and Demyx nodded sheepishly. Axel was too busy grinning like an idiot to respond.

"I'm Maria Osterman. I'm here to take your measurements."

It clicked. The fashion designer- Larxene said she would be coming. The woman stepping into the elevator and smacked the button for the fifteenth floor.

"Let's make this fast and painless, boys."

Moments later they were back in the apartment, and Maria pulled Demyx to the center of the room, a white measuring tape in her hands. She looped it around his waist, squinting at the numbers.

"Skinny," she commented, jotting the measurement down on a piece of paper. Demyx snorted, but didn't comment.

She'd taken about thirty measurements when Axel rolled his eyes and said, "You gonna measure his dick, too? There isn't much else left, you got it all."

Demyx blushed bright red and the woman glared at Axel, thankfully releasing the tape measure, which had been strapped around Demyx's neck.

"At least for his I wouldn't have to turn the tape over and measure in millimeters," she said, and Axel glared at both of them as Demyx barely restrained laughter. If he hadn't still been in a bit of a stupor from the elevator, he probably would've set Maria's hair on fire.

"Your turn," Demyx said as Maria gestured for him to sit down. Grudgingly, Axel stood up and walked over to the designer. She pulled the tape around his waist and cinched it tight.

"With your god-awful attitude and your unnatural proportions, I'm tempted to encourage you to model for a living," she said, voice cold as ice as she moved on to measure the length of his arm. "Or at least do a porn video with your boy-toy."

Axel laughed. "You'd be camping out in front of the video store on the release date of that one, I'd bet."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

An hour later, they were sitting with Sora in one of Larxene's many cars, on the street in front of Vexen's house. It looked like a normal middle class home, with a low fence, a golden retriever sleeping in the front yard, and a basketball goal in the driveway. Demyx had used the license plate number from Vexen's car and some creative computer sleuthing to find his address.

"Alright. I'll come out and get you in a few minutes," Demyx said, reaching for the door handle. Axel's hand on his other arm stopped him from leaving the car, though; he gave Axel a curious look.

"Yeah?"

Axel hesitated. "Be careful," he finally said, tugging Demyx into a kiss. Demyx returned the kiss with a smile, and then ruffled Sora's fur and got out of the car. He avoided getting run down by two kids on bikes, then crossed the sidewalk safely, went through the front gate, and headed up the steps to the front door. He knocked three times, shifting his weight nervously.

When the door opened, Jacob was standing behind it, and he gave Demyx an odd look. Demyx could smell something cooking; it smelled good, like turkey.

"Can I help you?"

Demyx smiled. "Is your dad here?"

Jacob turned around. "Dad, one of your weird friends is here!" he yelled, and then he turned back to Demyx. "He'll be right here."

Moments later, Vexen appeared in the hallway, taking off oven mitts. He took a few steps toward the door before he looked up, and upon seeing Demyx he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Demyx? Is that really you?" he asked, and Demyx grinned.

"Been a while, hasn't it?"

Vexen's reaction wasn't at all what Demyx expected; the former Nobody stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug as Jacob watched in disbelief.

"So many years, my friend!" he said, moving to hold Demyx at arm's length. "You look just as I remembered you."

"And you haven't aged a day," Demyx added.

"Come in, come in! Jacob, go on upstairs until dinner. Demyx and I have much to discuss."

Jacob looked suspicious, but he shrugged. "Sure, whatever," he said, heading for the stairs. Vexen watched after him with fatherly pride.

"That's my boy, Demyx," he said with a smile. "My pride and joy."

"Nice kid," Demyx agreed, and then he took a deep breath. "Listen, Vexen, before we get any farther…"

Vexen's eyebrows rose. "That isn't a good tone."

"Axel's with me. He's waiting out in the car."

Vexen stiffened, and his eyes narrowed. "I hope he died an incredibly painful death."

"Can he-"

"He can stay out there. He's not coming near my son."

"He's changed. He's not going to hurt you or Jacob."

"Would you take that risk with your child?"

"I swear on my _life_ that he won't cause trouble."

Vexen frowned, staring at Demyx. Demyx stared right back until Vexen finally gave in.

"Fine. But one suspicious move and I'm kicking him out."

Demyx sighed with relief, then opened the door and gestured for Axel to come on in. Axel stepped out of the car, followed closely by Sora, though the puppy decided that staying in the yard and clambering all over the sleepy golden retriever was a much better time than actually coming inside.

When Axel got to the door, Vexen crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin, blocking the redhead's path.

"If you do so much as give me one wrong look, I will hurt you," Vexen said to him coldly, and Axel wisely nodded. Vexen stepped aside, allowing Axel to step inside.

_One hurdle overcome_, Demyx thought as Vexen led them into a small sitting room. It was comfortable, low-lit, and Axel was immediately attracted to the massive fireplace built into the far wall.

"Is this your wife?" Axel asked, picking a picture up off the mantle and taking a closer look. Vexen nodded.

"She died, nine years ago. Cancer," he said softly. "Sit down, I'll go make some coffee."

For nearly an hour, they talked about what they'd been doing since, well, death. Vexen had started out in California, worked his way up through the ranks in a weapons development company, of which he was now head of research. It had been in that state where he met Gretchen, an artist, who was also Jacob's mother. He and Gretchen had moved to New York not long after getting married, after Vexen got a promotion that required such a move.

Eventually, though, the topic moved to the recent attack by the Heartless. The conversation took a dark turn from there.

"Do you have your powers back?" Demyx asked, and Vexen laughed.

"I haven't had my powers since I got dropped here," he said. "Why?"

Axel pointed a finger at the fireplace, and the logs lit up with dancing, crackling flames. Vexen's eyes widened.

"You still have your powers?"

"They were given back to us the day before those Heartless attacked," Demyx explained. "I have them too."

"A disturbance between the worlds, perhaps? A misalignment of the boundaries?" Vexen said thoughtfully, obviously intrigued.

"There's more. There's a reason we came here, specifically," Axel said.

"You need my help with something?"

"Not you," Demyx said softly. "Jacob."

Vexen stared blankly for a few moments. "Jacob?"

"We got a visit from King Mickey," Axel explained. "He gave us a keyblade, and told us where and how to find the next keyblade bearer. It's Jacob."

Vexen shook his head. "No. That's simply not possible."

"The keyblade activates around him. We know it's him," Demyx said, but Vexen only kept shaking his head. He stood up and gestured to the door.

"You've overstayed your welcome. Please, leave, and don't come near my son again."

"You can't just ignore this," Axel said, standing up. "If he doesn't take up the keyblade, then-"

"_Out. Now._"

Axel glared at Vexen, and Demyx stood up and grabbed Axel's arm, dragging him toward the door. He managed to get the redhead out the door, where Axel picked up Sora and headed for the car.

"Well, that was a colossal waste of time," Axel muttered as they stepped out the front gate.

"Maybe he'll come around with more time to think it over."

"Time is one thing we don't have, Demyx."

"Hey! Demyx! Axel! Wait up!"

Demyx and Axel turned around to see Jacob pushing through the front gate of his yard. The teenager caught up to them, glancing back at the house.

"He didn't see me. Don't worry."

Axel frowned, looking at Demyx. "Did you tell him my name?"

"I listened in on the whole thing," Jacob said quickly. "I heard everything."

Demyx and Axel froze and looked at each other nervously. Jacob didn't miss a beat.

"Is it true? Is all of that true, what you said?"

Demyx nodded. "It is."

"So…my dad is from another dimension, Earth is about to be invaded by little black monsters called Heartless, and I'm supposed to fight them all off with…a key?"

"Put bluntly, ah…yeah," Axel said, rubbing the back of his neck.

A voice suddenly called Jacob's name from within the house, and Demyx decided this wasn't the time or place to do this.

"Kid, that café you were at today for lunch. Meet us there tomorrow night at seven and we'll explain everything."

Jacob nodded and started to walk away, but Axel called at him to wait. The redhead opened Demyx's backpack and rummaged through it with his free hand (the other was full of sleepy puppy). He pulled out the keyblade, and then held it out to Jacob.

"Just in case," Axel said. "And don't let your dad see it."

The moment Jacob touched the keyblade, there was a rush of wind and a soft glow from the weapon. He stared at it for a few more moments, until he heard his confused dad call for him again. He ran back to the house, and Demyx and Axel decided enough was enough for one day; they headed home.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Finally!"

That was not the exclamation Demyx and Axel expected to hear from Larxene when they walked in the door, but nonetheless, that's what they heard. And when they saw Larxene, they were even more confused, because she had a huge bruise on the side of her face.

"What happened?" Demyx asked, and Larxene smirked.

"I don't know what you two did today, but you sure rattled some cages. Two guys came here looking for you, and they weren't happy when I said you were out fucking in the back of some library or something."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Did they say anything else?"

"Yeah, somethin' about killing that keyblade brat."

One glance at each other, and Axel and Demyx were sprinting back out the door, leaving Sora with Larxene.


	8. Chapter 8

They were only about halfway back to Jacob's house when it happened.

There was no warning. Demyx was at the wheel one second looking at the road, and the next a huge Heartless landed on the hood of the car. Demyx slammed on the breaks, skidding to a stop, and then something slammed into their car from the side. Another car.

Chaos, once again, as the Heartless attacked a second time.

"Are you okay?" he asked Axel, and Axel nodded, rubbing his neck. Demyx opened the car door, stepping out of the car and blasting away a Heartless with a water attack. Their car…well, Larxene's car…was totaled; it wouldn't be getting them anywhere now.

"Come on, this side!" he yelled at Axel, seeing how the other car was right up against Axel's door. Axel scrambled across the seat and Demyx helped him out of the car.

"It'll take forever to get there now," Axel said. "Especially with the Heartless attacking."

"Maybe not," Demyx said, eyeing along the street. A few people had abandoned their cars in favor of running; one guy in particular had abandoned his large truck after he ran it into a Heartless. The truck was still running.

"Over here," he said, grabbing Axel's hand and pulling him toward the truck. Axel shot fire at a nearby Heartless, and then saw where they were headed.

"Isn't this stealing?" he asked, obviously amused.

"Emergency situation, I'm sure he'll understand," Demyx pointed out, jumping into the driver's seat. Axel got in the passenger side, and Demyx slammed his foot on the gas.

They managed to get the truck to Vexen's house, and Demyx parked it half on the sidewalk and leapt out. He and Axel glanced at the house, then at each other.

The door had been knocked down.

"We're too late," Demyx said, sprinting inside. He first noticed Vexen, who was lying in rubble that used to be a table, unconscious. He rushed to Vexen's side, checking for a pulse.

"He's just unconscious," he said.

Axel nodded. "I'll check upstairs for Jacob."

No sign of Jacob. He wasn't in the house, which meant one of two things; he'd been kidnapped or he ran. There were signs of a struggle, but no blood, which was a good thing.

"We should go look for him," Axel said, starting for the door. When he realized Demyx wasn't following, he looked back. "What are you waiting on?"

"We can't leave Vexen here. The Heartless will find him," Demyx said.

"Well, we can't take him. He'll slow us down."

"Then I'll stay."

Axel obviously didn't like that idea, but Demyx didn't move from where he was. After a few moments, Axel sighed.

"Alright. But be careful. I'll come back here for you after I find Jacob."

"I won't go anywhere."

Axel left, and Demyx stood up, summoning his sitar. If the Heartless tried to overrun him, he'd need to be ready to fight. And while they certainly didn't attempt to overrun him, they did show up to fight, sometimes 3 or 4 at a time. Demyx was quickly wearing down, wondering when the onslaught would end. The first attack had only lasted about 15 minutes, and this one was already pushing 45 minutes.

When the attack finally did end, about 20 minutes after Axel had left, Demyx thought he and Vexen were in the clear. He sat down next to the unconscious scientist, allowing his sitar to fade.

Then, he heard two sets of footsteps inside the house. He stood up, expecting Jacob and Axel to round the corner. Instead, two men appeared, both in dark suits. One had long black hair, the other short light brown hair.

"Demyx," one of them said. "Perfect. We'll take you too."

"Take me?" Demyx repeated, and then he lifted his hand to summon his sitar. One of the men pulled a gun, fired- and Demyx felt barbs slice into his chest. He stumbled back, stunned, and then the man pressed a button on the gun.

Strings lit up from the gun to the barbs, electricity firing down and hitting Demyx like a cement truck. He let out a scream and stumbled back against the wall, sinking down to the floor as shocks surged through his body.

The last thing he saw before the world went black was one of the men lifting Vexen from the floor, and the other heading toward him with a length of rope.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"Have you seen a kid with a big key?"

Axel couldn't count how many times he'd asked that question. Most people were too scared and panicked to answer, others gestured in some vague direction. Axel managed to stay on the kid's trail, which led him into another suburban neighborhood.

The directions eventually led him to a house, where Axel simply opened the door and walked in, not in the mood for formalities. A young teenage girl and a woman were huddled against the wall, and Jacob stood in front of them, keyblade at the ready against three Heartless.

"Hit 'em, kid!" Axel shouted, summoning his chakrams. Jacob, wide-eyed and obviously terrified, clumsily swung the keyblade at the nearest Heartless. It stumbled from the blow, then scuttled around and tried to attack him from a different direction.

He spun and swung the keyblade again, this time exploding the creature in a cloud of black dust. Axel launched his chakrams at the other two, effectively destroying them.

"Are you alright?" Axel asked Jacob, and the boy nodded, still holding the keyblade in a death grip. "Well, come on, let's go. Demyx is with your dad."

"Is he okay?" Jacob asked.

"He's fine. We need to go, kid."

The teenage girl behind Jacob stood up, stepping between him and Axel. "Who are you, anyway? Don't push him around, he's having a hard time here!"

Axel raised his chakram to her neck. "Don't push me, girl, I'm really not in the mood."

"I'll be fine, Jenny," Jacob said. "I'll come back, okay? After all this is over, I'll come back here."

Axel lowered his chakram; Jenny didn't notice. She was staring at Jacob, looking a bit horrified. "What do you mean, when all this is over? What aren't you telling me? And what the hell is the big key for? And what _were_ those things?"

"I can't explain right now. I have to go take care of a few things, but I'll be back. Promise!" Jacob said as Axel moved to pull him toward the door. Axel dragged him outside, smacking one of the few remaining Heartless with his chakram as he headed down the front steps.

_He shouldn't make promises he can't keep_, he thought, finally letting go of Jacob's arm when he was sure the kid wasn't going to take off.

"You getting the hang of the keyblade?" Axel asked, and Jacob shrugged.

"I think so."

"Good. You're going to be using it a lot in the near future."

Axel sped up, and Jacob had to practically jog to keep up with him. By the time they made it back to his house he was out of breath, but he ran for the open door.

"Dad?" he yelled, and got no answer. "…Demyx?"

Axel stepped inside, and right to the living room where the pair had been. They were gone.

"Demyx?" he said, worry and fear taking hold. He noticed something new- cracks in the wall where there hadn't been before. A struggle.

"Where are they?" Jacob asked, and Axel knelt down where he'd left Vexen and Demyx. A neatly folded paper lay there. He opened it up, studying the fancy script.

"Return to your home and wait for instructions," he read aloud, and then he scowled and crushed the paper in his hands. Kidnapped. But Demyx was a good fighter, hell, a great one when need be; who could kidnap him?

"It was those two men, wasn't it? The ones in the suits?" Jacob asked.

"They were here?"

"Yeah. They showed up right before those Heartless things showed up. My dad, he…he fought them and told me to run," Jacob explained. "When the Heartless showed up, I wanted to make sure Jenny wasn't hurt. They must've come back here looking for me when they couldn't find me out there."

Axel could practically feel the guilt dripping off Jacob's every word. He stood up, turning away from the wreckage of furniture.

"It's not your fault, kid. Come on, we have to go back to my place."

"Will they kill him?"

"In all likelihood…" _Yes. Say yes. Don't sugarcoat it for him. _"Nah."

Jacob breathed a sigh of relief, and Axel mentally kicked himself. This whole 'having a heart' thing was making him go soft.

"Come on, kid."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"So, bubble boy got himself kidnapped, I hear."

Axel glared at Zexion, who'd just entered the apartment with a smirk on his face. Zexion's smirk didn't fade even at Axel's glare, and he instead locked his gaze on Jacob, who shifted nervously in his chair. "And this is the scrawny kid who's going to save the world this time, right?"

"Lay off, Zexion," Larxene said, rolling her eyes. "The kid already thinks I'm going to disembowel him and eat his entrails."

"I wouldn't put it past you."

"Did you call Marluxia?"

Axel's head snapped up. "Marluxia's here too?"

Larxene nodded. "Close. Just over the border, in Canada. He's here on business this month."

"What business is that?"

Zexion smirked. "He's a botanist."

"…Why am I not surprised?"

"And he still wants to kill you."

"That doesn't surprise me either."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Zexion opened it partway, looked out, then opened it the rest of the way. Marluxia stepped inside, looking exactly the same as Axel remembered him- including the glare.

"Axel. I was hoping you'd die sooner, before I lost the list of ways in which I wanted to kill you."

"That's too bad. I mean, it must have taken you _weeks_."

Marluxia's fists clenched and he opened his mouth to speak, but Larxene gave him a warning glare. "If there's any fighting to be done, it'll be outside my apartment. That vase there is worth more than both of you combined."

Axel was about to poke at the vase just to see what she did when there was yet another knock at the door. Zexion opened it yet again, frowned, and then looked down.

"Person's already gone…but I think this is what we've been waiting on," he said, leaning down and picking up a tape player off the hallway floor. Axel stood up and snatched it out of Zexion's hands, setting it on the coffee table and hitting 'play'.

Just some shuffling, first. Then an unfamiliar voice.

"Axel, I'm sure by now you know the situation. We have Vexen and Demyx in our possession and will not hesitate to kill either one. Bring the keyblade wielder to the warehouse on the corner of Vine and 76th tomorrow night at 10pm, and both of them will be let go. Miss this first deadline, and we will kill your boyfriend. Miss the second drop point, and the boy's father will die. No tricks, or they both die."

More shuffling. Then a muffled voice, the sound of tape being torn off skin, crackling, and a heart-wrenching scream of agony. Demyx.

Everyone in the room winced, except for Larxene, who was hypothesizing under her breath as to what kind of voltage they were using.

"Tomorrow night. Don't screw this up," the voice said, and then the tape went dead. Axel started to breath again, not even aware that he'd stopped when he heard that scream.

"Those bastards. I'll kill 'em both. I'll burn this whole fuckin' city down," he snarled, standing up and heading for the door. Only Zexion grabbing one arm and Jacob grabbing the other could keep him from going on a fiery rampage.

"Axel, come on. This is a time for _planning_, not drastic measures. You do one thing to set them off and Vexen and Demyx die," Zexion insisted, pushing Axel back down on the couch. "I know where that warehouse is. And if you guys are willing to put in a bit of effort, I have a plan."

Jacob nodded fervently. "Anything."

"Not you. You're sitting this one out," Zexion said to Jacob, who immediately stood.

"They have my dad, I have to do something!"

"The whole point of this plan is making sure they _don't _get their hands on you. If you die, we're all screwed. Which is why you're staying _here_."

"Just go with it, kid. You'll have your chance," Axel said, grabbing Jacob's arm and pulling him back down into his seat. Zexion explained the plan, which was just crazy enough that it might work.

Larxene and Marluxia were on their cell phones in moments.

"Yeah, Joe?" Larxene said. "That empty warehouse on Vine and 76th. I want to buy it. Immediately. Yeah, I know the stupid killer black things are holding all the paperwork up, but I'm sure you can pull some strings and get it done…right? For me, Joe?"

"Yui? You know that project we've been working on?" Marluxia was saying into his phone. "Toss the papers. I want all the belladonna we're growing trucked here, to New York."

A pause. "Yes, the entire greenhouse worth of it. All the plants. No, the oleander stays. Just the nightshade."

Axel crossed his arms. "It worries me that he has truckloads of deadly plants to just throw away."

Zexion chuckled. "Just never leave your drink unattended."

"Do you think they're Nobodies? From the last attack?" Axel asked, and Zexion shrugged.

"If they are, makes it that much easier for us. We'll know how to take them down for sure."

_This had better work, _Axel thought, taking a glance over at Jacob, who was curled up on the couch studying the keyblade, completely lost in his own little world. _For all our sakes, it had better work._


	9. Chapter 9

"Listen, Demyx…I'm sorry."

Demyx used what little strength he had to lift his head, looking up at the man tied to a chair across the small room from him. He shook his head. "No reason…to be sorry."

"I should've listened to you. I should have expected something like this," Vexen continued. "I was so set on keeping my son out of my world that I put him in danger."

"It's not your fault," Demyx pointed out, his voice hoarse. "You did what any parent would do."

"I'm a fool."

"You're a father."

Voices were floating in from the next room; the trade-off was getting closer. They didn't have much time to make a plan, if they could even manage that.

"We need to come up with something," Demyx said quietly, trying not to move too much- his chains would rattle against the machine he was bound to, giving him away to his captors. Any kind of movement got a severe penalty.

"I'm useless without my powers," Vexen said miserably.

_Me too_, Demyx thought, wincing at the memory of trying to use his powers here. Any time he tried to use water to fight, the machine kicked on and gave him a paralyzing zap of electricity. His powers were useless, unless…

He suddenly knew what he had to do. He could save Vexen, possibly save Jacob, at a cost. He could handle that; he might not have been able to, back when he didn't have a heart, but now it wasn't even a question. Just the knowledge of what he had to do.

"Vexen…I think I have an idea," he said, lifting his head a little more. "I need you to promise you'll tell Axel to make sure Jacob stays safe."

Vexen looked up at the musician. "What?"

"Promise me. And don't let Axel do anything rash. Tell him I love him."

"Demyx, what-"

He didn't get a chance to finish the inquiry. The door to the room swung open, and the two men stepped inside, armed with guns.

"Come on, you two," one of them said, beginning to untie Vexen. The ropes loosened and fell, and the other grabbed onto the chains holding Demyx, starting to unlatch them. That's when Demyx took a deep breath, gathering the last of his strength and will.

He cast a massive water attack on the entire room, shielding only Vexen from the sudden rain. It was only moments before the machine kicked in, so strong that Demyx let out a wail of sheer agony.

Electricity lanced through him, the walls, the two men- only Vexen was protected, untouched, reaching up to shield his head as every electronic in the room shorted out. Demyx smelled burning flesh, he was convulsing uncontrollably, then something just _snapped_.

_Axel…_

There was a solid ten seconds of silence before Vexen dared to lower his arms. He looked up, a thin layer of smoke shrouding the air in the room. He coughed lightly, his heart racing.

"Demyx?"

He stumbled past the fallen bodies of the two men, to where Demyx was still chained to the smoldering machine. He kneeled down, putting one hand on Demyx's shoulder.

"Kid, you did it! They're dead! I'll get you out of here, and…"

There was no response.

"…Demyx?"

He lifted Demyx's chin, and then pressed his fingers against the boy's throat, checking for a pulse. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"No. No, come on, don't do this," he whispered, shaking the blonde. "Wake up."

A sound, but not from Demyx. From behind him. He shifted and looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened in horror. One of the men had shifted- he wasn't dead. Then the other moaned lightly.

Neither was dead.

He looked at Demyx one last time, blinking back tears. Demyx wanted him to take care of Axel; he had to tell Axel.

_The warehouse. Axel should be at the warehouse, _he thought. He gave Demyx's hair a light, affectionate run-through with his fingers, and then he stood up, stepping back over the men and rushing out of the building as fast as his feet would carry him.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised."

Axel looked up from where his gaze had been locked on the dashboard of Zexion's car. They were a block from the warehouse, and it was almost time for Axel to go 'make the drop'.

"What are you talking about?" he asked Zexion.

"You and Demyx."

Axel shrugged. "It just…happened."

"That's not really what I meant."

Axel looked at Zexion with a frown. "Then what _do_ you mean?"

Zexion paused for a moment, and then he smirked. "I've never been witness to you living for someone else. You're…well, you _were_ a selfish bastard."

"Things changed," Axel said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"You fell in love."

"Well, I don't know about _that_-"

"Come on. It's not like you can hide it. Look at what you're doing for him," Zexion said with an elaborate gesture of his hand. "Any other person this happened to, you would've insisted on just letting the deadline pass. You would go in, chakrams blazing, and not give a damn what happened to the hostages."

"It's…it's different."

"You love him."

"What do you care?"

Zexion shrugged, tapping his fingertips impatiently on the steering wheel. "Just confirming my suspicions."

Axel muttered something about death and chakrams, sliding down in his seat and crossing his arms. It wasn't 'love'. It couldn't be, not yet. Could it?

But Zexion was right. He'd finally started to live for someone else, and it felt like spinning out of control. Caring this much about someone felt as uncontrollable as it felt getting dumped in this new world.

It was the best thing that could've happened. That much he knew now.

He hadn't told Demyx yet, hadn't told him anything he needed to. That Demyx had made this change bearable, that he was more than Axel could've ever hoped for and more. That blonde musician had changed him more than having a heart ever could.

"It's time. Go," Zexion said quietly, breaking Axel out of his thoughts. Axel swallowed thickly; so much was riding on this. Demyx. He had to save Demyx, had to tell him everything.

He got out of the car, still fighting off thoughts, memories, and regret. He tried to concentrate on the plan, but his mind kept wandering, thinking on the things he was going to say and do when he got Demyx back.

"Axel!"

Axel stopped. He knew that voice. He'd just heard it yesterday, in fact. He turned, and his stomach did a flip.

"Vexen?"

The scientist jogged up to him, breathing hard as he caught up. He took a few deep breaths.

"You have to get out of here. _Now_. Where's Jacob?"

"He's safe. Where's Demyx?"

Vexen winced. "Please, Axel, not here."

The smile that had been on Axel's face disappeared completely. "Vexen?"

"We have to get away from here, Axel, what part of that don't you understand?"

"What happened to Demyx?"

"Axel, he's dead. _He's dead_."

Axel stopped breathing. "No. No, you're lying."

"If I could have done anything, I would have, believe me. I didn't know what he was going to do, it all happened so fast-"

"He's not dead. He's not."

Vexen grabbed Axel's shoulder, trying to get the other man to move back toward Zexion's car. "We have to go. They're going to be coming here any minute."

"_He's not dead!_"

"I saw it all with my own eyes, Axel. I took his pulse."

"No no no…" Axel moaned, feeling nausea welling up in him. Dizziness. This couldn't be right. Demyx wasn't dead. Vexen was wrong, Vexen was lying. Footsteps approached, they didn't register.

"What the hell is going on?" Zexion asked as he approached the pair, eyeing Vexen in particular. "You escaped?"

"Thanks to Demyx," Vexen muttered, and Zexion looked between him and the pale, panicked looking redhead. Fairly quickly, the situation hit him. Only one thing could have Axel looking like that.

"The two men too?" Zexion asked, and Vexen shook his head.

"They're injured. Not dead. We need to move, now."

Zexion nodded, and he and Vexen each grabbed one of Axel's arms, pulling him back toward the car. Axel fought their grip, partly on instinct, and partly because the words were just beginning to truly hit him.

"We have to go back," he said desperately, pulling against their hold. "No, no, we have to go back for Demyx! We have to go back!"

"There's no point," Zexion growled, pulling harder on Axel. "It wouldn't be a rescue, it would be a body recovery."

"He can't be dead. He can't be…"

"Axel," Vexen said firmly, and then his tone grew noticeably softer. "He told me to tell you he loves you."

Axel no longer fought their grip.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Demyx took a deep breath, and his eyes fluttered open.

The sharp intake of air quickly degenerated into a coughing fit. He winced and tried to move, his body sore and weak. He remembered firing off that attack, unbearable pain, and dying. He'd died. But now here he was, awake, no worse than he'd been before that attack.

That meant…this really was an afterlife. There was no world after this.

They couldn't die.

He looked up again, relishing the sensation of air filling his lungs. The room was empty; Vexen had gotten away. But so had those two men.

And he'd told Vexen to tell Axel he loved him. If Vexen caught up with Axel, Axel would think he was dead. This was not good, not good at all.

Experimentally, Demyx gathered his strength and summoned a water clone. The machine did nothing- it was completely fried. The water clone picked up the keys the man had dropped, and quickly unlocked the chains on Demyx's wrist before falling back into a puddle on the floor.

Demyx stood, rubbing his raw wrists and judging his options. He decided the best option was to get back to Larxene's apartment- eventually, Axel would end up back there.

He stepped shakily through the wreckage of the room, praying that Axel wouldn't do anything rash before he'd gotten to him. He only stopped to pick up the first gun he saw and make sure it was fully loaded.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Axel wouldn't talk to anyone. He hadn't moved since Vexen and Zexion had dragged him back into the apartment and sat him in the chair by the window. He stared out the window, his entire body trembling.

Even Marluxia knew better than to try and approach the redhead. Everyone had gathered back at the apartment, ready to try and sort out a 'plan B'.

"Can't we do anything to, you know…help him?" Jacob asked, wiping tears from his own cheeks as he gestured to Axel.

"He's gonna have to work this one out on his own," Zexion said firmly. "We need to keep our minds on the task at hand. Mourning can come when we aren't trying to save the world."

"I almost feel sorry for him," Marluxia said with a snort, staring at Axel. "I still lost an entire greenhouse worth of plants for nothing, though."

Zexion rolled his eyes. "You're the only one who cares about your plants."

"You'd care if one ended up in your drink."

"Yeah, I'd care enough to take those plants and shove them up your-"

"Boys!" Larxene snapped. "Don't we have more important things to be discussing than your kinks?"

"Right. Plan B," Marluxia said. "Well, it appears that Axel will be of no use to us. Jacob won't be much good either."

Larxene nodded. "So we need to-"

The door suddenly slammed open, and in the doorway stood one of the two men, a gun in hand. Right behind him was his 'partner in crime', also armed and looking very pissed off. Both still had singe marks on their clothing and skin, evidence of Demyx's attempt on their lives.

Shots fired off, and everyone dove for the floor, but one not fast enough- three bullets tore through Zexion, knocking him forward into the coffee table, shattering it into dozens of pieces. Marluxia let out a strangled cry, and then he grabbed a vase off the nearest end table and gave it a good hard throw at one of the shooters, ignoring the shriek from Larxene as he did so.

Axel summoned a chakram into one hand, standing up, surprised to see Marluxia scrambling to Zexion's side to see if the younger man was still alive. There was the first evidence that he'd actually gotten a heart in coming here. Axel prepared to throw the chakram at the same time one of the men pointed a gun right at him.

_It's okay. Shoot me. It doesn't even matter now, not now that Demyx is gone_.

New gunshots rang out, and suddenly both shooters jerked and fell, the back of their heads blown open from bullets.

"Take away their weapons and tie 'em up. They don't stay dead long, I don't think."

That voice. Axel knew that voice.

He looked up from the bodies, and his eyes widened.

Within moments, his chakrams faded and forgotten, he'd crossed the room at a sprinted and crashed into Demyx with a passionate kiss, taking the younger man by surprise.


	10. Chapter 10

It was utter chaos. Axel had one arm around Demyx's waist, the other hand on the younger man's face, holding him close in a suffocating kiss. Vexen and Larxene were busy tying up the two men who'd attacked, strapping them to chairs with ropes that Larxene had in her apartment; though no one dared ask why Larxene just had lengths of rope lying around. Marluxia had Zexion in his arms, Jacob watching on helplessly as the former Nobody struggled to drag air into his lungs.

"I thought you were dead," Axel whispered breathlessly, finally breaking off the kiss. "They told me you were dead, I should have come back for you, I'm sorry-"

"No. No, it's okay," Demyx insisted with a weak smile. "They weren't wrong. I died. But…"

"Somebody call an ambulance!" Jacob shrieked tearfully, his hands soaked with Zexion's blood, evidence of his efforts to help.

"Hang in there. Hang on, we're going to get help," Marluxia was saying to Zexion, cradling him closer, but moments later Zexion's hand dropped from where it had been fisted in Marluxia's shirt. He went limp, his eyes fluttering shut.

"It's okay," Demyx insisted, pulling away from Axel and almost falling, prompting Axel to grab onto him and refuse to let go. "He's not gone. We can't die."

Everyone's attention was suddenly on Demyx, and Larxene snorted. "What did they do to your head, kid?"

"We can't die," Demyx insisted. "I died, and ended up alive. Give it a few minutes. He'll wake up."

"You'd damn well better be right," Marluxia muttered, still staring down at the torn and bloody body in his arms. Axel couldn't care less at the moment; well, he could, but he had his hands on Demyx. That was all he needed right now, more than he could've hoped for.

"No more dying," he said quite seriously, making Demyx look at him. "No more. I'm getting you a leash."

Demyx smiled. "Sorry. I'll try to avoid a repeat performance."

Axel kissed him again, gentler this time, more aware that Demyx was weakened. He could taste smoke and blood in Demyx's mouth, a harsh reminder of what had almost been the end. He didn't waste any time in picking up the blonde and carrying him to the couch, setting him down on it.

"Zexion?" Marluxia said softly, and everyone looked up to see that Zexion was breathing again with short, harsh breaths. Alive, just like Demyx had said. His eyes slowly opened, and he blinked a few times, dazed.

"What should we do with these two? Shoot 'em again?" Larxene asked, jerking her thumb at the two men tied to chairs. Their wounds had healed, but they weren't yet awake.

"They're Nobodies too? They can't die?" Jacob asked, his eyes wide and red from crying.

"Looks that way," Axel said.

"Why are they here? And what do they want with the kid?" Larxene asked, kicking one of them on the leg. The man stirred and his eyes opened, and Larxene grabbed him by the chin. "What do you want with the keyblade brat, huh?"

The man chuckled. "I'm not going to tell you. The Superior still holds sway in this world, after all."

"The Superior? You work for Xemnas?" Zexion asked, slowly pushing himself up to a sitting position, though Marluxia remained ready to catch him if he fell.

"Wait…"Demyx said, obviously putting the pieces together in his mind. "They work for Xemnas. Xemnas wants the keyblade users to keeping destroying the Heartless, so he can complete Kingdom Hearts…"

Axel's eyes widened in realization. "He gets another keyblade user into that world, it speeds up the process."

"So he sent them to take my son back to that world, to speed up the process of collecting hearts," Vexen growled. "It's just crazy enough to work."

Demyx frowned. "But King Mickey said that if we go back, we die."

"Jacob isn't dead in our world. He wouldn't be affected by being thrown in there," Axel pointed out. "We'd cease to exist there because in that world, we're dead."

The two Nobodies didn't say a word, but Axel knew their story was right. It all made sense; the Superior always had ulterior motives, and it made sense that those in the Organization weren't the only Nobodies in the other world. Using the extras for a task like this was beneficial, of course.

"That clever bastard," Larxene said, staring at the two Nobodies. "So what should we do with them, then? They're like us. They can't die."

"I think I know of a way to dispose of them, Nobodies or not," Vexen said, and then he looked up at Larxene. "Somewhere in your infinite wealth, do you have a boat?"

She snorted and lifted her chin. "Her name is Nobody's Fool, and she's docked at the river right now."

"Call whoever can drive it and tell them to meet us there. And to bring an extra anchor."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

An hour and a half later, they were on Larxene's boat with two very angry Nobodies tied to chairs in the main cabin. Marluxia and Zexion were standing at the back of the ship, Larxene, Vexen, and Jacob were all in the main cabin, and Axel found Demyx at the very front, leaning over the railing to see the water parting around the bow.

"I'll bet you feel right at home," Axel said with a smile, joining Demyx at the railing. Demyx grinned at the redhead, then returned his gaze to the lights of the night-lit city reflecting off the river.

"I like boats."

"No kidding."

"I've never been on one before. I've seen 'em, though."

"I'll buy you one someday. Or I'll get something to blackmail Larxene with and make her buy you one."

Demyx looked up at Axel again, and then Axel pulled him into a kiss, relieved to just have the privilege of watching him. Seeing Demyx happy was something he appreciated a whole lot more now.

"Listen, Demyx," he started slowly. "I meant to tell you something, before now…I mean, I decided to, and then you…"

Demyx nodded. "What is it?"

_Just say it. Who knows if it might be your only chance_, Axel thought.

"I wanted to…to thank you, for helping me all this time. Even when I treated you like shit," he said. "I think I'm in love with you."

A blush spread across the musician's cheeks, and his smile widened as he looked down at the deck of the boat. "I already knew I was in love with you."

"I'm not quite done," Axel said, laughing softly. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone. I'm sorry for not being there for you when you needed me. And I'm sorry for not saving you."

"Stop apologizing," Demyx said, looking up at Axel. "Just kiss me. That's all you've gotta do."

Axel did.

But the kiss was cut short when they heard a scream from the cabin. They broke apart, and Demyx took off at a run to see what the problem was. Axel followed with a yell at Demyx to stop, but after three steps he met the problem face to face- a Heartless rose out of the boat's deck, right in front of him, blocking his path to Demyx.

The Heartless were attacking again, and with awful timing, too. Axel summoned a chakram with an angry growl, slicing at the creature.

"Axel! Axel, they got loose!"

Axel turned toward the sound of Marluxia's voice and saw one of their captive Nobodies run across the deck, a knife in hand. Things had quickly gone from bad to worse.

"Where's Jacob?"

Axel spun around, having finished off the Heartless he'd been battling. He looked around the boat, trying to spot that familiar mop of brown hair- there. One of the men had a grip of Jacob's wrist, and Jacob was struggling as the man's other hand opened a white portal.

If Jacob went through that portal, he'd end up in the other world, aiding Xemnas's cause. All hope here would be lost.

Ignoring the danger to himself by going near that portal, Axel sprinted across the boat just as the man gave Jacob a good shove into the portal. Axel grabbed onto Jacob's arm, keeping him from falling completely through.

The pull of the portal was amazingly strong. Portals didn't normally have this kind of pull, but this wasn't a normal portal by any stretch of the imagination. The keyblade shimmered and disappeared from Jacob's hand and he flailed, grabbing onto Axel's arm with both hands. Axel braced himself and pulled, but it was no use. The pull of the portal dragged him forward nearly a foot, and Jacob completely disappeared in the portal, jerking Axel in up to his elbows.

He could already feel his arms fading- after all, once inside the portal, he would cease to exist. It wasn't his world. Jacob wasn't dead to that world, but he was.

_Have to hold on_.

"Axel!" Jacob yelled desperately. "Axel, don't let go!"

"I won't!" Axel yelled back, attempting to pull again, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Vexen was fighting back the man who'd shoved Jacob in the portal.

Not enough. It wasn't enough. The pull was just too strong, and Axel couldn't keep his footing. His shoes squeaked against the deck of the boat as he was jerked forward again- then, quite suddenly, arms locked around his waist and pulled.

"Don't let go of him. I've got you," Demyx's voice said firmly, and the redhead got his footing again, trying to pull harder. His arms were still in the portal, and it was taking all his strength to keep from fading from existence, influenced by the connection to the other world.

He pulled back, the process made easier by Demyx's help, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. Back up to his elbows in the portal now, but it seemed impossible that they could pull the boy out.

Hands grabbed onto Axel's arm, helping him pull back- Zexion.

"Not lettin' you off the hook that easy," Zexion said, straining to help pull Jacob out. "If you get sucked in there…I won't be able to take blackmail pictures of you and Demyx in maid costumes."

"Nice to know you care," Axel said with a half-laugh. Hands were suddenly on his other arm, pulling, lending even more strength. It was Marluxia.

"Not doin' this for you," Marluxia pointed out, his eyes flashing briefly over Zexion before locking back on Axel. "So don't get any notion that I like you in any way."

"Wouldn't have dared."

Even with four people, it was too strong. Axel was being dragged in, his strength ebbing, and now he was almost completely in the portal. Blinding white light filled his vision, broken by only Jacob struggling to fight the pull.

_We're going to lose him. I'm going to fade away._

_Demyx…_

Suddenly, a shimmer in the light. Color formed behind Jacob, taking the shape of a person, someone short, with blonde hair and a white jacket…

"Roxas?" Axel gasped out as the blonde braced his hands against Jacob's back and began to push.

"You helped Sora, Axel," Roxas said, meeting Axel's gaze and smiling. "I'm returning the favor. Say hi to Demyx for me…and thank you."

A final shove, and the portal snapped closed as Jacob finally made it back out. The five of them collapsed on the deck of the boat in a pile of limbs.

"Ow," Demyx muttered, having ended up on the bottom of the pile-up. Axel sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

"If you boys are done with the child's play, the attack's over, and we have some Nobodies to dispose of," Larxene said, one foot set on the back of a beaten up and tied up Nobody. "And I'm not carrying that anchor by myself. So get to work."

Zexion and Marluxia stood up, Vexen rushed to his son's side, and Demyx moved to his knees, giving Axel an odd look. "Are you okay?"

Axel looked up at Demyx, and then he smiled.

"I'm fine. And by the way…Roxas says hi."

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Demyx stood on the roof of Larxene's apartment building, a glass of champagne in his hand as the light breeze ruffled his barely-styled hair. He let out a sigh, staring at the New York City skyline.

The two Nobodies who'd attempted to kidnap Jacob were now resting at the bottom of the river, strapped to an anchor, destined to drown over and over. It wasn't like they could be killed; this fate seemed fitting.

Demyx wasn't sure he was ready to live forever. But it seemed that for his activities as a Nobody, fate had dealt him and Axel the cards of protecting the keyblade wielder. And the one after him. And the one after that one. After all, the Heartless never really went away, especially in a world with so much darkness, and all the keyblade wielders would need guidance.

"Hey…you okay?"

Demyx didn't have to turn around to know who'd spoken. He nodded, leaning back against the warm body as arms wrapped around his waist.

"Just thinking."

A chuckle. "You look depressed."

"I'm fine," Demyx said with a smile, setting his champagne on the edge of the roof and turning around in Axel's arms. "You're here. I'm fine."

"You're missing the party."

"Larxene and Marluxia are drunk. Somehow, I don't think I'm missing anything that won't mentally scar me. Even Sora is hiding at this point."

"Good point," Axel said with a laugh. Demyx smiled up at him, rubbing his thumb lightly across one of the tattoos on Axel's face.

"Think you can stand me for all eternity?"

"I could barely stand an hour thinking I'd never have you again," Axel said quietly. "Don't even think forever is enough for me."

Demyx grinned and kissed Axel, quickly deciding that living forever might not be so bad. Heartless or no heartless.

"Hey! Hey, you two! We have your maid outfits here, get your asses back here!" Larxene's drunken voice called out, and Demyx laughed, breaking off the kiss.

"You had to make that deal with her, didn't you?" Axel asked with a sigh.

"It was worth it to use her Jacuzzi."

"…True."

"Speaking of, she's completely plastered. She won't notice or remember if we disappear for the rest of the evening."

Axel smirked, his eyes lighting up with mischievous energy. "Lead the way."


End file.
